The end of the waltz
by SylverWing
Summary: Four years after a terrorist attack on the earth, we are alone. Mars is closed off and only a few survivors remain to clean up the mess. What can only be called Zombies walk the earth; "Stop worrying - nobody gets out of this world alive." 'Clive James [on Hiatus/Prequel being written]
1. Chapter 1

The End of The Waltz

_Prologue_

Who would have thought, after all that we have been through. We would have to witness this, whether from our televisions on Mars, or right outside our bedroom windows. Human kind on earth is dying and if only it was just that. The majority of colonies are empty of any living creature, save for maybe the few animals that had been brought up there as pets.

There is only one safe haven, and they aren't letting anyone in. All shuttles directed to code name: Heaven, the red planet, our neighbor: Mars. In order to protect themselves _all _shuttles are shot out of existence. Any and all survivors that may have been on the shuttle killed right along with it. _We're carriers_, they said. _We could bring infection to everyone left._ The exposure and chances we have taken have been the end of us. We have been here too long.

Some people where smart, Locking down the resource satellites holding themselves up there, following in the footsteps of _red heaven_ keeping all other would be survivors out, ignoring pleas for help- and in some cases shooting the shuttles out of the sky. While others, where sympathetic, let others in, tried to help the survivors from the colonies- and paid dearly for it. If only they had to pay for it once, then I guess I wouldn't be wondering about my own existence- is it worth holding on, only to fail and then pay the price not only by death, but walking death as well? I don't know anymore.

Then I start to wonder _why _I survived the virus, _Why_ was I immune? Maybe it's because of my parents, or Maybe because I wasn't in one of the Ground Zeros when they struck all six times on earth. Could it have been just enough to hit one city in every continent to bring the world to it's knees? Maybe just maybe it's because of my street living childhood that allows me a certain edge in avoiding the infected, and my adolescence as a soldier that allows me to kill them with out remorse. But still I ask _Why._

Four years have passed since the outbreak began and I am tired- we all are tired. There are less then half of the group left now, and some of them are coming back to haunt us. I guess the only thing keeping me going is knowing that all my brothers are alive, Knowing that two of them are safe in _red heaven_. Also having the other two by my side through-out these four years have been a driving force to keeping me alive. Even still, how much longer will that be enough... A decade, A year... month? Will we live that long? Will the infected simply die out if they can't get food? Maybe it would be best to die by my own hand, then by the mouth of them.

Who knows, I only hope that fate has finally had enough fun with us... because I cannot take anymore... First the streets, then the war... a glimmer of peace, and then rebellion, Again with the peace, we had four years worth of peace, then this bullshit happened. Something straight out of a comic book or b-reel horror movie. The dead started walking, and people started running... the Zombie apocalypse that human kind has been fascinated and frightened of has finally arrived... and I am stuck in the middle of it. On the biggest oldest colony human kind knows... Earth.

* * *

Chapter One:_The Broken Man_

'_This is how the world ends... not with a bang, but with a whimper.'_

_-Eloit_

The silence surrounding them was rubbing on already frayed nerves. It was never a good thing when the animals went completely still, such was true before the terrorist strike, and it remained so now four years later. The grass was over grown, towering above their heads, the cover of the forest left some seven hundred meters behind them, a hard shot for their cover in the trees.

The group of five went completely still, ears perked to any sound other then the normally gentle breeze that moved the greenery in a hypnotic fashion, making it increasingly difficult to see and hear. "S-team 1 to nest, Do you have a visual?" A near silent whisper sounded from the man kneeling in the middle. He was pressing his ebony index finger in to his left ear. _Affirmative, 200 meters to your three. Five passing west, keep a close eye there is most likely more in the cover of the grass._

"Roger, changing heading to alternate route alpha-02." He uttered, raising his right hand signaling to the rest of the group who stood watchful weapons at the ready. _Roger, return safe Maxwell._ The man said nothing more as he slowly rose from his position to move in the direction indicated, turning the group in a wide arch to their nine.

Their foot steps near feather light as they created a path way in the grass, one they would never use again. Slowly, almost painstakingly so they reached the first building on the outskirts of the country town that once housed one thousand people. Now it housed at least one thousand of the infected. Duo hated the odds that where apparent no matter where they turned, but survival of the group was more important then his discomfort. What as one thousand over twenty thousand in one of the cities?

Gripping his Mp-5 closer to his shoulder he moved towards the house and peered inside the window on the main floor. "Empty, continue towards the towns center." He whispered marching them onward changing their direction to head left. As they did so the grass started to thin out some 50 meters further giving way to concrete and foundations of civilization. Duo forced an attempt at a soothing sigh. His attempt failed.

Signaling with his hand he motioned for his group to stop, clicking the safety on his mp-5 he pulled the hunting rifle off his shoulder and crouched on the ground. Looking down the sights he saw the small towns center, and the river beyond. On his first sweep he saw a group of twenty infected all groping for a cat stranded on the low roof of a house. At the end of his sweep he saw another fifteen just standing starring at nothing.

He signaled to his team, _20 at 11; 15 at 2, about 10 inbetween. Store windows broken, and signs of rioting. Chances not good._ Looking around one of the young men signaled, brokenly, but understandably _Do we sweep the houses for abandoned squatting?_ Duo looked down his scope again, and shook his head. _Too risky, We should go with plan gamma, route via main road looks clear enough, find cover i'll attract those two major groups and those in the center path will be dead before you get to the buildings. Brad, chaz you two take left, James Rick take right. When I get an opening I'll come straight down the middle. We can loop back up river._ The group nodded lifting their own assortments of what had once been Preventer weaponry.

_Shit... _Duo thought to himself, laying flat out waiting for the groups of two to break out of the grass and run the full 2oo meters to their first point of contact. He counted to ten and lined up his first shot. Taking in a slow breath of air, he waiting until the infected woman wobbled in to the prefect line up. Holding his breath he squeezed the trigger- the weapons fire echoing across the open grass land. _Sure hope those bastards we passed don't come back again. _

He didn't have time to think about the idea further as he let off three more shots to a small cluster, and looked up to check positions. He watched as the cluster chasing the cat started moving towards him. The other group starring in to space started looking about as if some forum of intelligence still filled their rotting brains.

Duo focused himself on clearing the infected out of the path of his men, before clicking the safety on his rifle, and flipping it over on to his back. He pushed himself up and broke out of the grass headed straight for the first building wall. Looking left then right he lifted his MP-5 and ran full sprint through the street hoping the infected where too interested in the loud sounds of weapons fire over the sounds of his feet meeting concrete.

Five buildings away from the small grocery store an infected child sauntered in to his path bringing him up short. He stopped dead, his free hand reaching for his combat knife. Slowly the dead white eyes looked at him, the half exposed jaw lowering as the child like being took in a deep breath of air preparing for their trade mark cry.

He lunged, his knife striking in the side of the child's neck as it entered he pulled it across listening for the crunch of the spinal column separating from the skull. The pop was loud, as was the sound of the body dropping to the ground, gasping and gurgling.

He didn't waist time by dwelling on the fact that the little boy with the shredded remains of a cartoon t-shirt was laying on the ground in suffering, because he had been doing salvage since the beginning of the outbreaks, and he was not so green to believe there was any intelligence left in that boy. He was not a human child, he was a walking corps which would kill him before any other thoughts entered what little mind it had.

He slid to a stop beside the door of the store, looking right then left and back down where he had just came, to see the infected converging on the sight he had been with the hunting rifle. "good thing they aren't very fast... and they didn't see me." he thought to himself as he slipped inside the store to see rick, a middle aged man with light brown hair and a fair build terminating an infected with his knife much in the same fashion as he did with the child. _Fuck..._ he internally cursed, knowing that he would be haunted by the image of that child's rotting face for some time to come. _God damn it._

"Grab the cans, leave everything else." He ordered pulling his rucksack off his back, heading straight for the pasta isle. "I thought you just said grab the cans..."

"That I did, and that I am. James, give your ruck to Chaz, stand point." No one made to protest as Duo disappeared down the isle, he after all was the best at what he did. Duo after all had the experience for finding things that didn't belong to them. Pulling canned vegetables pre-cut off the shelf, checking their expire date, before dropping them in his bag He couldn't help but feel contempt filling him at being respected simply because he knew how to hold a weapon and steel food from no one.

He looked over his shoulder at what was left of the pasta, and sighed. Not many of the packages where intact, and he couldn't risk even a single whole in the packaging. "No good getting sauce with out the pasta." he grumbled. Walking around to the next isle looking at powdered health drinks. Dumping them in to his bag, and sighing. "Well beans and mud-drinks it is then."

"Oi! Maxwell, check it out!" Rick walked over to hims holding cans of fruit. "There is a whole shelf of them, they expire at the end of the week, dented but otherwise unharmed." Duo smirked, "looks like we get desert."

It didn't take long for Duo's bag to fill up and for him to heft it over his shoulder again. _Nest to S-team1 we have visual of infected pack back tracking to town. _Buzzed in Duo's ear. "Time to leave, we've got the rat pack coming in." Duo called, before heading to the back of the store, near the rotting and smelling once frozen food section."Roger Nest, We're leaving." Duo responded in to the small receiver attached to his ear.

"Duo, the groups are starting to make their way down the street." James called as he ran back to take his load. "Alright guys, lets try not to fire off our weapons if we don't have to. The river is less the a hundred meters out this back door, there should be a small area in the river about four feet deep that is safe to traverse. We are going to head up stream to 7 and make our way back to H.Q."

His group nodded, as they made their way out. Duo's gut sinking with every second, something told him that this was too easy, where were all the residents of the town? They slowly made their way towards the river, and down the slight decline.

The water was cold as it hit their legs, typical for late-spring. They walked against the current, all eyes watching the banks, until they came to the first bend. That's when they herd the load moan of the infected. Duo peaked around the corner to see fifty standing in the water looking around for the source of some noise.

They seemed transfixed in the direction above and ahead of them. Duo pulled back around the corner and listened to the area around them. Slowly he started to hear it as well, and getting closer. He didn't need to look to know that his group herd it as well. _An engine... who the hell would be stupid enough to drive a vehicle this close to a town..." _

_'Maxwell you have a hum-vi headed in the direction of the river and moving fast down stream.' _His tree top scout said with a hint of panic in his voice. _I know, but I am too close to answer you Wufei... shit._ Duo herd the screeching of tires as the thing above came to a halt. _Maxwell! Maxwell do you copy? Max-_ Duo turned off his radio to save his battery

"Do you see them Aki!" A voice, a woman's voice echoed. "No just more meat heads climbing the ridge. And a couple dozen making their way through the town." Another woman's voice responded. "Shit. Okay pop one off towards the town, and drop a grenade in the cluster below."

"already a head of you!" Duo herd a canister of some kind hit concrete and a loud pop, _A flash bang... what the-_ A shallow splash cut off his thought as he dove towards the ground, pulling Rick with him. "Get down!" He cried, as the grenade exploded sending bloody parts flying.

His ears rang as he lifted his head looking over to the sharp turn in the river, and the water. Blood and bits of body parts floated past them. Rick lay motionless. His face partially submerged in the water. James and Chaz looked about them as Brad started to climb the embankment to get a look at the vehicle taking off down the road. Lifting his Mp-5 Duo rounded the corner and looked at the few infected that where left standing. Most of them had survived the blast, and where trying unsuccessfully to get to their no longer existent legs.

He didn't wait, he just opened fire, "Lets move!" He called behind him, knowing that it wouldn't be wise to grab the ruck on Rick's back, despite the need for the supplies. "Brad Grab his weapon, and lets go!" Chaz called up to the man who was quickly making his way back down to meet up with them." Duo herd Brad's curse as he neared rick's lifeless body.

They moved and shot cutting a line through those infected who remained on their feet, and avoided the one's that fell.

* * *

"I don't see any sign of them Kekko, I think it might be better if we get back to Sonya, after all she has the kids with her. Ayame and Kat will be fine, it's not like they are new to the experience of traversing the wilderness." Akira slid in to the front passengers seat of the hum-vi they had acquired from an old Preventer's out post that had long ago been abandoned. She ran her black gloved hands through her shocking red hair to pull it out of her face.

"True, but they are not familiar with this region, and it's worse traveling at night- they are more active then." Akira turned to look at her friend and the driver of the military vehicle, her wavy frizz infested brown hair was pulled back in to a low pony tale. Her jacket sitting on the bench seat beside her along with their canteen of water. She wore a black muscle shirt that effectively showed off the upper arms of a woman meant for boxing. Her hands where gripping the steering column so tightly that her knuckles where bone white.

Kekko's jaw was a soft sort angular, if Akira was forced to describe her, with a nose almost like a button. Strong cheek bones and a slight widow's peak brought about a rough sort of elegance. However despite the fact that the woman was in a word pretty, it wasn't her individual features that made her so. Though what would have been the bow on the present, was the woman's eyes.

Hetrochromatic was what the science community of old had called them. Each eye a different colour entirely. Kekko's left eye was moss green while the right was a deep water blue. Currently the only emotion showing on the woman's face was worry. "Hey Kekko, do you remember when we wound up thinking we where stuck in that abandoned church last year?"

Kekko glanced at Akira and slowly nodded before returning her gaze to the open road. "Do you remember what you said?" Akira waited for all of two seconds before continuing, "I'll tell you. You said to me that if there was one person you had wished was with us at that point, it would have been Ayame. Kat is in good hands, and Ayame well I don't even need to tell you not to worry there do I?"

"Even the exceptional run out of steam eventually Akira. Ayame is still human, and humans will tire. No matter how many times someone tells me not to worry I cannot help but do so. It's when I stop worrying that I know we have a problem." Akira couldn't argue with the woman, not only because she was right, but because the woman had an uncanny ability to win every verbal fight there was- she held the gift of words.

"Alright, just let me know when we get there." Akira propped her feet on the dash board and leaned back in her seat closing her eyes. Leaving Kekko to her thoughts.

They had driven no more then a half a mile when Akira sighed, "Hey Kekko, did you hear anything when I tossed the grenade back in town?" Kekko blinked a couple of times. "You mean other then the explosion and the screeching of tires?"

"I thought I herd someone, and as we took off I tried to look and see, but I couldn't hear or see anything." Kekko Slammed on the breaks. "and you failed to mention this because?" Akira watched the woman's face go from white with fear to red with anger. "Wow now, It was a males voice, I think I herd Get down. But I could be wrong... after all it's not like we haven't herd things before that weren't there." Akira rose her hands in front of her in a don't do it gesture.

"If there where survivors down by the rive, I hope they survived the explosion long enough to get the hell out of there." Kekko finally sighed, as she started onward, turning on to a bridge to cross the river. "Either that or die in the explosion so they don't come back again." Akira agreed. "Wait a minute, If there where survivors, then could it be possible for Ayame and Kat to come across them tonight?"

"I don't want to thing about it Akira." Kekko muttered as she turned on to a dirt road and swung the hum-vi in to a small path before pulling the break. "Why not?" Akira asked as she opened her side door and waited until Kekko was outside and rounding the back end of the vehicle to continue. "I mean after all they could help them right?"

"Risking exposure? I doubt it, and if what you herd were survivors don't you think they will be mildly pissed if you injured or killed one of theirs with that grenade? What reason would they have to help Ayame and Kat then, especially if they ask over other survivors being spotted in the area." Kekko shook her head. "No, I hope that Ayame and Kat don't come across any survivors tonight. In fact I hope they have beat us back here." Kekko grabbed the branched of a shrub and started to pull it a cross the ground effectively blocking the path in from the road.

Akira started to unload their packs, and the munitions they had with them. "I guess that makes sense... though we should be past the point of greed and jealousy by now, and simply working for survival of all."

"Impossible, this is why Ayame refuses to accept anyone new in to our unit unless they are children, and even then she is skeptical." Kekko walked over to Akira and hefted a wooden crate off the ground. "Simply because munitions are hard to come by and just as hard to make, never mind food. It's getting harder and harder to come by every day, with stuff expiring and others being taken by survivors before us. A larger group is much harder to sustain then it is a small group. Even Two more mouths to feed is two more meals less for the group."

"One." Akira side with a sigh. "Pardon?" Kekko blinked at her before slowly nodding, "right, one. After All we both know Ayame wouldn't accept food from another group of survivors, especially if they are willing to spend Ammunition to help protect them. It's either one or the other, not both with that girl." Akira nodded as they pushed through a bush in to a small but tidy clearing.

* * *

When the group of four made it back to the forest line, three of them breathed a minor sigh of relief, while their leader glared at the area they called home. To their left a man stepped out of the brush, a 308 caliber sniper rifle strapped to his back. His long black hair pulled out of his way by a pony tale, and his black eyes searching Duo's stoic face.

Duo ignored the man, and marched onward towards the camp. The Chinese-ethnic sniper fell in to step beside him. "You okay?" He asked in a whisper so as the other men watching their back wouldn't hear. "Fine." Was Duo's clipped response as his violet eye's met the other mans. "We lost rick though, You might want to tell Jackie."

"It's already been done, she has also been informed it's of the permanent kind." Duo nodded sharply. "Good." They where silent all the way to the camp grounds where the new joiner started to walk off his own way. "Hey Wufei, Thanks for caring."

"Any time Maxwell." With a wave Duo headed with the rest of his team in to the camps center where most of the 10 residents had gathered, Duo pulled off his pack, and left it for the others to go through and organize. He needed to be left alone.

"Hey Duo! Great job you guys hit the mother load these beans have maple in them!" Someone laughed and Duo gripped his fist walking to an abandoned trailer they had dubbed the weapons storage. He walked inside and unloaded his rifle, picking up the unspent round from the chamber and replacing it in the cartridge. He took the scope, which was sighted to his eyes, and slid it in to a pocket. Pulling apart the rifle his mind drifted back to the image of the child infected.

"Aren't you done Fucking with us yet!" He screamed at the top of his lungs kicking a table leg snapping it effectively causing the table holding his partially dismantled rifle on the top to come crashing to the ground. "FUCK!" His scream petered out in to racking sobs as he put his back to the wall and slid to the floor. "What the hell did children ever do to deserve that..."

* * *

"You didn't find them I see." The woman didn't look up from her cooking as the children turned to look at Kekko and Akira. "No, and I would assume that they haven't beat us back her with that tone." Large brown eyes looked up at Akira and narrowed slightly. "You would assume right; now explain to me why you found it necessary to use to explosives if you didn't find them?"

"Sonya, not now." Kekko said as she put the wooden crate inside a small weather tarp. "Why not now? Seems like the best time to me." Kekko sighed. "Because I don't want the third degree from some one using the dry wood for a Dinner that could have been eaten cold."

Sonya blinked in shock as she looked from Kekko to Akira who half shrugged, "Hey you know how she gets when Ayame takes longer then she should... which is becoming more frequent these days." Akira rolled her shoulders, Besides I think a warm lunch would be a good idea for once... cold beans suck."

"Well then you just enjoy warm beans." Sonya hummed and Akira groaned. "I sure hope that Ayame catches something meaty! I am being driven crazy by these canned rations." The children nodded, "Yeah, Beans make jimmy have gas... and it stinks." A girl about eight years old said holding her nose, blond hair in need of a washing framing her face at the chin.

"Better then yours Mary." Jimmy countered with a huff his pointed nose stuck up in the air. Short brown hair flat against his head. "Would both of you stop acting like little kids." the third and final child sighed, He was the eldest Martin once a martial arts student under Ayame. The only one of her students to survive when the infected swarmed the region he lived. Mostly thanks to his mother who lead him most of the way, but the kid was smart and resourceful. _Decent shot to..._ Akira thought to her self, before leaning back on her hands. "Hey martin how old are you now?"

Martin looked at her is dark brown eyes holding suspicion in their depths as the wind caught is black hair. "I am twelve... almost thirteen I think." Kekko walked over, "Is your birthday in 190?" she asked and Martin shook his head "189." Akira smiled, "Then your in about fourteen years old now." Martin shrugged, "I guess. Why do you ask?"

Sonya remained silent but sent Akira a knowing look. "Well considering your getting so old, your not really a kid anymore. I think it would be a good idea if you where allowed to carry a weapon, to help Sonya protect our camp and such while we are gone."

"Akira! No! He is a boy, a child!" Sonya gasped as she glared at Akira, then turned said glare on Kekko for not agreeing with her. "He is not going to carry a weapon. I won't let it happen!" Behind the three children a dead baby dear was dropped on the ground with a thump. Mary screamed jumping in to Jimmy's lap, Martin turned ready to strike looking up at a woman with long black hair tied out of her face by a piece of green cloth.

Bright crystalline blue eyes looked down at him approvingly, before looking to Sonya. "Martin is no longer a child, and Akira is right. We are not living in the world we all once knew, everything is a danger, and everyone must learn to protect them selves with more then simple self defensive arts. Martial arts won't work on an infected, only other survivors." She turned her attention on Mary, "I am sorry child, I did not intend to frighten you." She placed a hand on her head waiting until the girl looked at her and nodded. "It's alright, just don't do it again!" She scolded bringing a laugh to burst from Akira.

"Well you sure as hell took your sweet time _hime-sama_." Akira greeted not bothering to look up at the woman. "We would have returned much sooner if someone didn't drive through town and set off two charges needlessly." A second woman stumbled out of the brush snapping a branch as she dislodged her back pack from a stubborn bush.

"Pardon me? If the two of you would ever just try to get back in the time you say you will then maybe we wouldn't go looking for you every time we turn around." Akira stood up off the ground. "Unless you would rather us just sit here like dumb shits to wait for you to never come back."

"That's exactly what you should do." Ayame cut off the explosion she knew would have been eminent from the woman behind her, and it would do no one any good if both red's decided to get in to a fist fight again. "You can't be serious Ayame."

"Completely Akira, You know better then anyone does why exactly that is." Ayame held out her hand towards Kat who handed her the back pack. "This is the reason we where late." She added tossing it to land between Akira and Kekko with a heavy thunk. "What the-" Akira grabbed the bag and unzipped it. "Holy shit!" she gasped backing away from the pack like it had just bitten her. "Where... how... when... who?"

Kekko intrigued by Akira's display tugged the open bag towards herself and peered inside. She blinked looking at what appeared to be enough C4 to take out a mobile production facility. She then opened it further to let Sonya peer inside before looking up at Ayame with a look of bottled fury. "You went in to the city didn't you?"

"No we did not." Ayame responded flatly, before hefting up the dear and half dragging it to the far side of the fire. "We went in to the old Military base armories." Sonya jumped to her feet. "Do you have a death wish?" she squeaked. "Don't be stupid." Kat scoffed pulling her rifle off her shoulder which Akira noted that it was not the one she had left with.

"Kat, don't." Ayame warned as she looked at each of the women surrounding the fire. "The numbers we saw a week ago aren't what they where. Only about a quarter where left." Kekko arched a brow in silent question and Ayame shook her head, "Later." she pulled a long k-bar from a leg strap and proceeded to gut the animal.

"At least you had the decency to do that with it's back turned." Sonya sighed, "You know we where worried about you." she added looking from Kat to Ayame's hunched forum. "Of course you where, but that doesn't mean you had to organize a search. Especially leaving you alone with the children, it is highly unadvised, and using the hum-vi was stupid at best." Ayame stated flatly as she proceeded with her work not looking up.

"Never mind those explosions we herd. Did you know there where survivors in the river bed." Kat added, as Akira flicked a look to Kekko. "We do now." Kekko pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I would not be worried about the survivors, more over the infected following the sound of that engine, after all it's not exactly quiet." Ayame muttered to no one in particular.

Akira looked at Ayame as she pulled out what looked to be an intestine. "Ugh- I think they where more preoccupied with the explosives to worry about following something they couldn't keep up with." She turned her head away but turned back when she felt Ayame's eyes on her. "Why do you assume they hold any sense of logic? They are not human anymore. They are an animated virus that uses the host body even after death to survive. Nothing more then instincts, they follow the sounds of what is closest, not the loudest."

"Even if the food is another infected." Kat added simply enough as she walked around the fire pit and lifted up the back pack from the ground and took it to the small storage they erected with a piece of tarp string across a bush and down the back.

"Ayame, We are not new at this. Do not presume that we are stupid. We have taken every precaution that we can to ensure that the infected don't find this place." Kekko spoke up, watching Ayame until she looked at her again. "Perhaps, and with any luck those survivors would have dealt with the one's you missed- or enough of them to keep the infected away from here for a while yet."

Sonya flopped down on the dirt and ignored the warming beans. "Oh for heaven sake, can we please just drop the conversation it's bad enough that we have to talk about the infected at all, never mind hope that another group of survivors are being targeted by the remaining infected in town. We are human beings, not heathens."

"We are in a battle for survival Sonya, it's kill or be killed by Human and infected alike. Earth is closed off, no one is going to be coming to rescue us, all the shuttles are gone to Mars or been have blown out of space in their attempt. We are trapped in our own personal hell, and honestly I would rather live for a while longer. So I say it's better someone else then us or would you rather be-" At Mary's slight squeak Ayame's head snapped up. "Kat you have made your point."

"I am just saying." The red-headed Irish woman shrugged as she sat on the ground flopping backwards in the dirt. "Hell there hasn't been any kind of air transportation between continents for at least a year. We are on our own." Sonya slammed her fist in to her palm, "All the more reason to keep our humanity intact. We cannot go around wishing for the death of others just to increase our own lives. It's not right, and it's not healthy. It makes us no better then the infected, in fact it makes us worse because at least they don't have a choice."

"Believe what you want, you didn't see the kind of equipment they where carrying." Akira and Kekko blinked. "Just what kind of equipment did they have?" the latter of the two questioned as Sonya resumed her stirring of the beans.

"It looked like a steady supply of Preventer armaments, simply standard recon gear really." Ayame sounded blasé about it, but Kat snorted, "listen to you, standard... Do you remember what I was carrying around before we went to that base Ayame? A simple nine millimeter glock. One that I found still holstered to the side of an infected police officer that I beat down with a nine iron. That isn't standard for anybody but Preventer personal."

"Or someone who got to the base before we did." Ayame countered as she pulled the rest of the innards out of the dear. "So you keep saying, but yet we still found the C-4 explain that away."

"We've had this conversation already Kat. Someone had been in to the base long before we did. If you bothered to look, you could tell by the layering of dust and blood spatters." Ayame stated simply as she stuck her K-bar in the dirt. "Don't forget, the C-4 Ayame-ne." Akira hummed for once in agreement with Kat. A rarity to say the least.

Ayame looked at each red headed woman in turn. "Perhaps I need to spell it out then. No one wants to waist time trying to carry something they are not going to be able to use. Only the essentials will do. C4 is a plastic explosive that takes time and energy to set up. Why would anyone waist that time and energy if they weren't going to settle down in one place." Ayame wiped her hands on the side of the dear before folding up a piece of cloth.

"No one wants to settle in one place because it attracts the infected." Kekko interjected in to the conversation looking at Ayame expectantly. "Exactly, at least that was true two years ago." At Ayame's admission Sonya looked up from the beans and chimed. "Dinner is ready." Ayame took the Que to lift the folded cloth and walk away.

* * *

"How long has he Been in there?" Heero Yuy questioned as he walked over to Wufei holding out a tin cup of what appeared to be a health drink. "Since he returned." Wufei turned his gaze from the trailer to Heero. The fire light sent shadow's across the man's face. "Yuy, leave him be. Rick was killed by other survivors who didn't know they where even there. He has to get over the fact that it could happen at any time to any of us."

"Almost did him." Heero said flatly bringing Wufei to blink at his at one time rival. "How?" He asked and Heero held up what Wufei had assumed was his own drink. It was a small can of cut mushrooms in the side was a piece of singed metal sticking through it. "That looks like grenade shrapnel..."

"_Hn_" Heero uttered as he started walking away, "I see..." Wufei sighed as he ran a hand through his

loosed hair. "Hey Wufei, have you seen Sharon?" An elder woman asked as she passed by him. "No, Check with Jackie." He suggested, "I was just with her, it would seem that Sharon has just disappeared." Wufei downed his small cup of bad tasting sustenance before standing from his rock turning to assist in the search.

"Duo." Heero greeted as he walked in to the trailer, seeing the man sitting simply looking at the broken table. "I broke it..." He muttered before taking a deep shuddering breath. "I see that, why did you break it?" He asked as he sat down beside his best friend. "Because it was better then going looking for those other survivors."

"Indeed, so why are you still in here?" Duo looked at his friend then and blinked, "Because I can't figure out how to fix it." Heero watched him for a long moment, "Fix what?" He finally asked and Duo looked to the floor. "Everything."

Heero sighed, "I don't get it 'Ro, Why does fate torment us, it seems we are never catching a break in life..." Heero silently agreed, but said. "Fate has no control over terrorists Duo, You and I both know that. The only consolation that we can have is the knowledge that those terrorists where caught in their own trap and are paying the price for it. All we can do now is survive and try to make the best with what we have."

"To what end? Wake up, Eat a small breakfast or drink water, find wood, clean weapons, patrol the camp, go on salvage and or supply runs, fend of infected and/or other survivors. Re-stalk munitions, hunt, eat hopefully a dinner then sleep to do it all again the next day. What kind of life is this 'Ro? Are we to try and bring a new generation in to this world with the infected running ramped? Are we going to be able to get them all before we're too old to bring a new generation? Will we live to see tomorrow? I am tired... So sick and tired of fighting." Duo slumped further forward and Heero could only put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"What would you do if you where me 'Ro?" Duo looked up at him from under his bangs. "I can't answer that Duo, because I am not you. What I can tell you though is I am going to fight, So that one day we can see this place infected free; and maybe build a proper life again. I am going to Fight because it isn't in me to give up. I can also tell you that Wufei and everyone else in this camp even Jackie are going to be doing the same thing. Your at a point now Duo where you have to really reflect on what is important to you. Forget the last four years, go back to peace time and tell yourself what you have to live for. Who knows, maybe just maybe one day we will see our other loved ones again, and maybe make some new one's along the way. The future is ever changing, and nothing is certain- especially fate."

"maybe... we'll see." Duo lowered his head again. Heero simply sat there with the man in silence as the sun set and the sounds of the night began echoing from the town. The nightly cries of the infected fighting one another in search of food. Beside him Heero herd a single whimper but spoke nothing of it, and never would.

* * *

_Author's notes: Hello everyone, Welp it would seem I had a muse again... and this one is a bit different the my last few (unfinished) ones. This time I have been inspired by a photo I found online; The military fighting off a hoard of infected. It was so amazingly done that I had to try my hand at a Zombie-fic. Let me know what you all think._

_Also you can all Thank Sakura2010-shs for the multipul upload. Much love!_


	2. Chapter 2

The End of the waltz

Chapter Two _Salvation _

"_Salvation is the act of saving one's self" _

_~unknown_

As the moon rose in the eastern sky, and the chill wind's picked up speed, Ayame Taylor sat vigilant and watchful from her branch some thirty feet above the ground. A pen and note book balanced on her lap, she dated the top of the line page _March 7__th__ After Colony 203. (The era of the waking dead) _

Every night while on her turn to sit and look out at the night to keep the children safe, she wrote little bits in the note book, piecing together the history that had brought about the end of life as all people knew it. (so far as earth was concerned.)

_In my last passage, I wrote of the events leading up to the Six simultaneous Terrorist attacks fueled by cowards. Tonight I shall tell you of the events that shattered all manner of history right out of the water. Sending Earth back to the dark ages. _

_The Date was exactly four years ago this night, when the event took place. I wasn't in the city, and as such was very lucky. At exactly 12:00 GMT Six Preventer out posts across the earth where struck by a chemical agent only known to Preventers as Standard X. It was a pathogen developed using the Spanish flu, Rabies and a multitude of other chemical and biological compounds. It was originally meant to simply send people in to a frenzy before dropping dead. Possibly infecting others to incite a panic in order to gain an upper hand in a power struggle between Preventer, and a Shadow's organization that we have never learned the true name of- and most likely never will. Needless to say, the infected didn't drop dead- the original bio weapon mutated in the final stages of deployment._

_I was with Sonya, who was at the time the President of Trinity industries, and Sergio Pharmaceuticals, also she was the key suspect in helping to develop these weapons that Preventer had only found traces of during raids of wear houses, while attempting to get control of a quickly growing fire. I was her 'Unofficial' Body guard. I remember that we where driving in her car to make our way back to the City when I watched a noxious green gas cloud rise above the sky line of Berlin, directly above the area where Preventer was located. The exact location to which we were headed._

_I remember that I couldn't think, my brain simply froze watching that cloud rise that symbol of Preventer's and my own personal failure. It was a sight I will never forget- cars swerving trying to pull over, cutting everyone off simply to stop and look at this terrorist attack. The area for forty miles simply stood in shock._

_I was glad that Sonya was able to push down on the breaks or we both could be a lot worse off. Preventer's Emergency broadcast channel was activated almost as soon as Sonya got the car stopped and it was like the executioners ax hitting home. The recorded voice of Anna Une spoke evenly and effectively to the population explaining to every man woman and child on earth, the colonies and in the new mars project. _

_She told them a deadly virus was making it's way through populated cities, and those within the cities borders where long dead. And Planet wide evacuation order was issued, and panic ensued._

She stopped writing something perking her senses up. She closed her note book and slid it in to the plastic folder strapped to the trunk of her tree dropping her pen inside. Slowly she stood on her branch, eyes well adjusted to the light of the full moon. She was able to see for quite a distance even in the forest, thanks to the trees not being quite in full bloom.

Ayame reached above her head, and pulled her preferred weapons from their cozy place. Slinging a MP5 assault rifle over her shoulder she gripped the hilt of a long bladed katana. Slowly she closed her eyes using her free hand to support her in the tree she listened for the tell tale signs of an infected wandering the area.

It was a faint noise, but she could hear the shuffled stumbling of one infected in brush below here, the low groaning noise most of them made seemed to echo like an explosion in her senses. _I got too caught up in my writing. _Ayame thought to her self as she moved slowly to get a visual of the creature. She couldn't it call it human, and she wouldn't call it an animal for it was nothing like either save for the forum of a human, and the instincts of an animal when infected by rabies. Even so, that description didn't do the things justice. It couldn't express the magnitude of what such beings where. While most of them moved slowly- once they caught either the scent of a food source or herd the movements of one, their speed increased greatly. It seemed at times almost super human.

Once any of the infected caught the sent of fresh blood they would continue to hunt the owner of the blood they smelt. She knew this by experience, she had witnessed such a they are killed by severing the spinal column from the skull (either by decapitation or a stabbing the spine it's self), or destroying the subjects brains entirely, Another characteristic of the creatures where that their blood didn't infect a human being, only their saliva. The only title that she could rightfully give to such creatures was zombie.

Climbing down a few branches Ayame watched as a slow moving male made his way out of the brush on the opposing side of the dirt road. He had come from the direction of the river, which told her that he was from town. If one had wandered out this far then there where bound to be others.

Placing her Index and pinky fingers in her mouth she let out a nightingale call as loud as she could, startling something in the trees near her. She waited to hear a returned call before sliding down ever so slowly to the ground landing near silently on the pine needles. She moved in a stop frame type of stalking motion watching every move and every reaction of what was in essence her prey. Gripping her katana with two hands she made her way out of the brush, cautiously watching the surrounding dirt road for any signs of other infected.

She could clearly see the man now- or rather what had at one time been a man. He stood a little over five and a half feet, and was stick thin, the torn trousers he had worn on his last day of life had dark brown blood stains and stains from what appeared to be excrement, She could see the decaying muscle of his left thigh through the back of his pants, which hung close to falling off completely. He had on an unbuttoned shirt, no doubt from the feeding frenzy that had taken his life originally. On the left side of the flapping material was a small gold tie clip just barely hanging on. His skin was so white it looked almost transparent, and bits of flesh hung off the back of his skull as if someone had been pulling on his hair and took the skin right along with it. He was listening intently for something, or so it appeared as his head moved from side to side. _Most likely my whistle..._

She closed in, raising her katana in to striking position, ready to simply cleave in to the base of the infected skull before he even knew what hit him. A stick snapped to their right, and Ayame's heart leaped in to her throat. She didn't waist time to strike as the man's head whipped towards the sound snarling.

Ayame felt the blade slice through the thin layer of skin, and lodge in to the spacings between vertebra. Giving the blade a firm two handed twist a loud pop echoed dropping the man dead on the spot. A single gasping breath escaped his lungs in his final Death rattle. With a foot to the back of his head she tugged her blade free bringing with it a sound of wet suction and her boots to become covered in rotting flesh matter.

Her crystalline blue eyes scanned where the sound of the twig snapping had come from, and watched as another sluggish forum moved towards her, as it's head lifted she saw the red reflective glow to it's eyes just before it let out it's hunting cry. (or what she perceived to be a hunting cry.) A long unnaturally high pitch scream that sounded much like that of a falcon as it descended to catch it's next meal, only much more demonic in nature.

She gripped the end of her K-bar and tossed it at the hulking creature which looked to be much taller and much more in girth then the first man she had fell. The knife flew true, directly in to the left eye socket blacking out one of the reflective indicators "Shit."

Ayame had hoped to use the eye reflections to track the thing in the darkness. _That will teach me to look at what I want to hit._ She pulled her rifle around her and unlocked the safety, pulled the action bolt and shouldered it. Her sight's lined up a split of a second after the action began. She squeezed the trigger once, letting off a short burst of two bullets. She it hit him somewhere around the head by the way he had fallen.

Quickly she jogged in to the brush and sought out the fallen creature. "You are not getting my knife..." She muttered to her self finding the thing still trying to crawl forward, her shots grazing the side of his thick skull.

"May your soul finally rest in the comforting company of our creator mother and father. Blessed Be." She put her rifle on the infected beings forehead and glanced away as she pulled the trigger. As the thing dropped limply to the ground Ayame tugged free her K-bar and wiped it clean in the dirt before placing it back in the material holder on her leg.

She took a long look around her watching, where there was two there was more. A no truer truth had been spoken when pertaining to the infected. One could have been a straggler, but two, never. The forest was infested and she knew it. _Tonight is the night we move on._ She thought to herself ready to make her way back to the waiting and prepacked hum-vi.

Kat had been right to be somewhat excited to see those survivors for Ayame noticed that they may not have been Preventer per-say but, one had most definitely been a gundam pilot. Ayame never forgot a face, and his face had been plastered all over The earth-sphere news networks during the war of 195 when Oz had taken his mobile suit and captured him.

Ayame stopped moving feeling like someone or something was watching her and she couldn't see them. She wasn't far from the tree she had been camped in, she could see the florescent paint on the bark. Her gut plummeted as she thought of running back to the tree. Running was never advised if they could see you and not the other way around. _Get a grip, this is definitely not the time to panic Taylor._ Her inward growl got her feet moving. She ran swinging her rifle so it rested on her back and leaped in to the tree her hands stretchinggrab the first branch. She pulled herself up with a grunt as their cries exploded around her.

Climbing up to her perch at a rate that was much faster then she had planned. Ayame reached in to the side pocket of her small back pack and pulled out a small hand flare. She loaded it and aimed downward Pulling the trigger sending out a loud pop as the magnesium ignited and as it hit ground exploded a second time illuminating everything within sight range. She felt every particle of her being drop as she looked down at what had to of been the residents of the town across the river, and then some.

"fuck me." She loaded a red flare in to her gun, stuck it between her teeth and scrambled as high in the tree as she could go all the while keeping and eye on those gathered below. Gripping to the tree with one hand Ayame cleared the tree top with the flare gun and shot it straight up. She herd the roar of the hum-vi as it tore out of the clearing almost as soon as the flare was out of the weapon. _Good, they listened to me._ She felt relief in knowing that they would be able to get away while she was the only one who would potentially get the brunt end of the agreement.

* * *

Kekko gripped the steering wheel as they traversed over the uneven terrine bouncing dangerously through the thicket. The children where crying in the back being held by Sonya, Akira and Kat working together watched the rear of the hum-vi weapons loaded.

"Do you think she'll make it Sonya?" Mary's voice whimpered as she whipped at her tear stained cheeks. "I don't know Mary, but I can say for sure that she will do everything in her power to get back to us."

"-And if she can't, then not at all." Kat added looking at the girl with a knowing smile. "Promise?" When Kat nodded Mary clung to jimmy and buried them closer to Sonya. "I don't want Ayame to come back as one of them!" Jimmy sobbed and Kekko's knuckles turned white on the steering column.

"Won't happen." Martin's voice was stone calm as he sat in the front seat beside Kekko, "Ayame-sensei would sooner commit sepaku. She made a promise to you Jimmy and _My _sensei _never_ breaks her promises." The young boy looked up at Sonya, asking "Really?"

"I can assure you Jimmy, Ayame has never broken a promise." At Sonya's words Akira laughed from her spot at the back of the Hum-vi. "Because she very rarely makes promises to keep." Jimmy nodded trusting and believing the two adults who had watched over him since his own mother had been bitten by one of the _zombies_.

Kekko growled as she whipped her head to one side. "HOLD ON!" she called over her shoulder as they jumped out in to the open. Kekko's hands were rapidly reefing on the wheel of the vehicle effectively sending the hum-vi in to a tail spin. In the rear view mirror she watched as Akira and Kat held on for dear life. "Pull her out!" Akira yelled back at her, hair flying in all directions like that of fire.

"I am trying!"

"Don't Try! DO or we are going in the river!" Kat called. The vehicle shook and the breaks squealed. Kat lost hold of her rifle and in her attempt to reach for it snagged her arm on a canvas tie for the top of the hum-vi. Akira herd a loud pop-crack as Kat screamed in pain, "Just hold on Kat! Don't you dare let go!" As Kat's eyes met hers, Kekko got the vehicle to slam to a stop.

"Shit, shit shit." Kat was chanting, her eyes watering and arm throbbing. It felt like a thousand needles had all been stuck in her arm and were injecting acid in to her all at once. "Just don't move." Akira jumped from the hum-vi leaving her rifle inside as she moved to where she could get a better look at Kat's arm.

"Well, it's broken." She said trying to sound nonchalant, and failing more then a lot. "No Kidding!" Was Kat's hissed reply. Akira gave the woman no warning as she placed her foot on the metal step-up and gripped the hold bar beside the woman's head. "Try to be still."

"Hurry up Aki, we have to keep moving!" Kekko ordered from the front seat, "Yeah, I'm trying." Akira pulled out a K-bar, much like the one Ayame carried most everywhere, and sliced through the canvas material but Kat never saw the blade that cut her free; didn't even know she was free because she fainted from the pain. "Gun It Kekko! We'll deal with her." Sonya spoke up.

Kekko didn't need to be told twice, Her two toned eyes narrowed at the bridge a head of them, hell bent on making it at least that far.

* * *

Ayame pulled her pack down and removed from the top a live grenade. She swallowed hard as she risked a glance down at the grouping of infected. The shadows cast by the light of the ground flare brought Ayame to shudder as a cold chill worked it's way through her.

"You can do this, better then being eaten by them." She coached herself shifting carefully around the trunk of the tree to place it between her and the majority of the horde. "I send this prayer to ye oh lady of the night. Please bless my family who travels with out me. Keep them safe and keep them together that is all I ask of you my eternal mother. Of you Father I ask a new, please oh lord let my aim be true. Should this night be my last, I await the time I finally meet you." Ayame spared a second to look at the full moon above, as the light from the flare started to sputter out. She stood rigid waiting for the bout of wind to finish.

Once gone she lifted the grenade to her mouth and pulled the pin. As the spoon popped out on the pineapple shaped explosive she lightly tossed it in front of her and listened as it hit the tree branches on the way down.

The five seconds it took for the explosion to rocked through the night, were the longest moments in her entire life. Her only thoughts in what could be her last five seconds where simply _Please do as I asked... go to them, for I cannot-_ her thoughts never finished.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" James one of the _men_ Duo had taken on the supply trip earlier that day exclaimed leaping from his spot beside the warming fire. His hands searching for a weapon to hold. Duo and his two brothers where already standing.

"That's close." Duo murmured as he glanced at Heero who slowly nodded, "Maxwell, Yuy up." both men followed Wufei's gaze to spot a small red flare falling from the sky, it was a good distance away but still close enough to be some cause for concern. "That wasn't the explosion we just herd." Brad uttered and Duo couldn't help but agree. "No, it was not."

"Do you think it's those other survivors we saw today?" Brad was middle aged, but in great shape. He had been a civilian throughout the war, and even after never found the urge to join Preventer or some of the smaller local policing forces. Despite this, the man had proven time and time again that he held the natural talent to be either.

The man was taller then most in the camp standing at six foot two inches. He was a tidy man, keeping his dark hair cut short, and his jaw smooth. His auburn-brown eyes and olive skin tone showed his age but aged him well. "Most likely, but they seem to have stopped near by instead of continuing onward- Wait what's that noise?" James whirled around and started running towards a tree. He too was fairly tall standing at six feet even. Using his height he made jumping in to a tree look like child's play.

"What do you see?" Duo called up to the twenty three year old.

"LIGHTS ON THE ROAD!"

Duo drew in a slow deep breath. "Is it the Hum-vi?" He called out. "Sounds like!" Brad affirmed from the same general direction. "Lights Out!" Heero called over the sudden commotion. Stepping away from the fire. "We cannot afford to get in to a fight with other survivors, we will try to blend in with the area, keep quiet as the they pass hopefully they will just continue on their way."

"Well then I think they are headed in this general direction, straight through the forest." James scurried down the tree just as fast as he had climbed it, as was waiting when Duo handed him his rifle. "Fools, they're going to bring the infected with them."

"Shooters! Ready your weapons in case defense is necessary!" Wufei added to the orders being thrown about the camp while Duo stood watching the distant forest. He couldn't hear anything above the chatter of the group, his sniper's eyes straining to see across the distance.

"QUIET!~" Duo bellowed as he kept his eyes trained on the deceptive forest. The camp became silent and his eyes widened as it did. "Scatter!" Duo jumped out of the way as the Hum-vi crashed through the brush ate dirt, skidding to a stop beside the fire pit.

Wufei and Heero stood at the front of the vehicle rifles already risen. "Don't move." The order was silent, but herd clearer then any sound made that night.

* * *

Kekko's foot slammed on the break jostling everyone in the back of the vehicle. "Oi! What the Hell!" Kat growled from her spot on the flat bed. "I think we found them." Came Kekko's response as her hands rose slowly above her head. "They don't look happy to see us." Martin added flatly mimicking Kekko's motions.

"Let me see- gha-" Akira pulled Kat back on to her but jostling her broken arm. "Stay put idiot. Ayame gave us instructions, we are going to follow them to the letter." Kat was about to protest when the back flaps of the Hum-vi where pulled open. "YOU!" The man standing at in the opening gasped eyes settling on Sonya. Akira's rifle was up and pointed at the man "We don't want a fight, but we will if you don't step off." She warned the acid searing her every word.

* * *

When her head stopped spinning enough for her to realize she was still alive Ayame bowed her head and whispered a short sweet prayer. '_I thank the lord and lady for your blessing of survival this night._' She knew that she didn't have time for anymore stalling. Shakily she opened her eyes and glanced downward.

The moon while at it's zenith was brightest and gave her plenty of light to see properly. (her eyes being adjusted to the darkness didn't hurt either.) As she looked she could see that the grenade had dropped further away from the base of her tree then she would have liked, but the impact of the explosion was sufficient. A goodly portion of the infected where on the ground, some still moving but most dead. On the outer ring of the _fatality _reach of the grenade a few pockets of the infected where down. Most of those who were not- were making their way to fill in the space at the base of the tree arms reaching up to try and grab their next meal... her.

Ayame took a deep breath inward and started ensuring that she had everything she needed. Her rifle was still strapped to her back and undamaged, her bag still hung from the tree if only just. In her jacket she could feel the weight of extra ammunition, and the few lowly packets of freeze dried emergency rations that seemed to never expire. The only thing that was missing was her katana, the loss of which was a great one, but when compared to the cost of one life next to nothing.

Glancing up to where her bag hung she noted that it too had moved, and was further out threatening to fall at the slightest gust of at a dangerous angle she strained to retrieve it, her fingers skimming the fabric three of four times before she finally got a firm hold on the materiel. Swinging her bag on to one shoulder Ayame gripped an upper branch of the tree for some kind of support.

Her fingers brushed the plastic case that she had sucured to the tree upon their first night in the region, and sighed. She wasn't normally the kind of person who delt with sentimentality, but she couldn't just leave the note book written history of the earth as she knew it. That she wasn't willing to do. She pulled it free from the trunk with a quick jerk and slid the thing in to her pack. Shifting so her rifle was at her side while balancing precariously on the thin branch managed to get Ayame bag on her back. Using one hand she snapped the buckle that kept the bag firmly attached to her- it would do her no good to loose the thing.

All the while she was trying to think of a way to avoid direct contact with the infected. She knew from experience that a horde of infected of any size was near suicide to face. Her blue eyes scanned the trees, and it was like the gods above where with her, for a cloud shifted and brought a moon beam to illuminate a single branch the was long enough to connect with a near by tree. From that branch a route begun to take shape before her eyes.

It wasn't going to be easy, but Ayame had been a preacher of_ no pain no gain. _It applied to the pains of getting what you need or want in life, and her need of survival was worth the pain of difficulty. With out further stalling Ayame slipped around the trunk of the tree and started running along the thicker branch. The further out she got, the more the branch bowed, but she trusted her gut instinct enough to have faith that she wouldn't fall.

She had survived the war by relying on her instincts and she had survived this mess of humanity by those same instincts. Ayame would not abandon them now. She reached the end of the first branch and jumped hand out reaching for a hold on something to support her as she landed. She got her balance and took off again. Being a person of logic Ayame knew the more she thought about what she was doing, the more likely she was to freeze up.

With out thoughts, and with out hindrance she moved, following the trail nature had given her. Quickly she was jumping and moving with out a pause in between. It reminded her of the days during the war and it also reminded her of her child hood.

Below her the cries of the infected following her where paramount, they weren't intelligent in the sense that they worried about tripping on roots or other infected, and that gave her an advantage in this chase. She held speed while they kept falling. _Granted they managed to hunt me effectively..._ her mind spoke to her. It brought about a shudder of cold fear for Ayame knew that if they could _hunt_ then perhaps they where starting to acquire an intelligence far beyond what should be possible in a rotting corpse.

* * *

James stood his weapon risen, he watched those in the back of the hum-vi; His eyes followed the path behind the injured and armed woman to spy two children clutching at another adult. His eyes looked to her face and he felt the world go still. He must have gasped because the armed woman rose her weapon, she spoke but he was not listening.

"Oi! Maxwell, You may wanna see this!" James kept a cautious eye on those in the back as he leaned around the side to call. Duo moved towards him and he held the look of a man who's feathers had been more then slightly ruffled. A twig stuck out of his hair and James had to keep from snickering- which when he looked at the murder in Duo's eyes wasn't hard.

Duo moved past James and looked inside the back of the hum-vi, "put down your weapon." He ordered, his violet eyes scanning the back of the truck taking a head count. "I already told your friend that we don't want to fight with you but we will if necessary. That said, no."

Duo knew that voice and had the urge to open fire simply because he wanted the woman dead- she was after all the one who threw the grenade that killed rick. "Aki-"

"Mary shh, just stay behind me." Duo's eyes flicked to back of the hum-vi and peered in to the shadows seeing two children that he had missed on his first look. Then he looked at the woman who had spoken to the child named Mary who he couldn't see, and his eyes widened in shock.

There wasn't a person alive who didn't know who that woman was. "heh, well this is just great. How the hell am I supposed to be all tough when you have kids in the back." Duo sighed, lowering his weapon enough to look at James. "Oi, Tell Chang and Yuy we have kids here."

James didn't move at first but when he made eye contact with Duo he nodded. "Yeah right."

"Are you Duo Maxwell, former pilot of the Deathscythe gundam?" The woman from the front seat stated flatly still looking out the windshield "Yeah, but it doesn't take a genius to figure that out lady." The woman in the back of the hum-vi still held her weapon at the ready, and Duo knew that this situation was not going to be an easy on to deal with.

"Look, we don't want to be here any more then you want us here, but we promised our sister that we would come to you and warn you." The woman holding the weapons spoke evenly, coldly towards him. He didn't have to respond as Wufei made his way around the back of the hum-vi and peered inside.

"Sonya Sergio... Interesting." Wufei's weapon was put away as he climbed in to the back of the hum-vi. "Girl put that down, unless you think it's smart to use it." Wufei's eyes remained on Sonya's. "Your' supposed to be on mars."

"So the rumors keep reminding me." Sonya dislodged the children from her and stood up. "Ayame sent us here knowing that Duo was present in the area. Though I doubt she would have waited so long if she knew you where here as well Wufei."

Wufei looked at the two children who sat huddled together in the back of the hum-vi. "You have children with you... " Wufei looked back at Duo who was watching the hum-vi closely. "Duo" At the call of his name Duo met Wufei's gaze and nodded swiftly.

"We have our own supplies and don't expect to be catered to, all we ask is that you hear us out and maybe we can all work together to survive." Sonya extended her hand to Wufei, "But for now we'll settle simply for conversation."

"Agreed." Wufei shook her hand and found himself transported back in time to when he first met Sonya Sergio in person. _Somethings never change..._

* * *

"There is no way I can do this... even I have my limits." Ayame muttered glancing at the river below her. _Can't back down now!_ She mentally called her feet already making the decision running at the center point of the river. _You are alone! You have to save your self!_ She jumped, hitting the fridig water with enough force to bring all the air out of her lungs at once. Panic bubbling to the surface near instantly -_there was a reason you where always taught that swimming in a river was the last thing you should ever do!_

Despite her survival training before, during and after the earth's war she found it difficult simply staying afloat long enough to start swimming. Her lungs where burning as she finally broke surface. The water splashing up in her face as she gasped for the air she desperately needed.

She knew that she wouldn't be able to make a straight across swim but she hoped that her angle of dive would allow her to at very least make it past the half way point before she really tired. Her arms pumped in a steady patterned front stroke. Her muscles trembling and yet oddly she found her self suddenly emerged in a memory.

"_Ayame, your slowing down! If you ever need to make a quick get away how do you expect to traverse the elements if you can't swim the current here? You need to improve! One day you will need this training more then you even know!" The shouter knew that she could hear them, they also knew that she was ignoring them trying to concentrate on the pacing she had set for herself. She had to beat the time she had for their last session. "That's enough, your done. You can't do it in your current state."_

_At fourteen years old, most children don't like being told they can't do something, Ayame Taylor was no different. She wouldn't admit she was wrong and she was stubborn enough to cause self injury in order to get what goal she had set. At her age she was a big believer in no pain no gain- it had been drilled in to her by the woman pacing the deck above. _

_A buzzer killed the water current unexpectedly and Ayame faltered in her swimming only to come up coughing. "Rina-Sama! Why did you stop!" She called, upset and rightly so, but the woman staring down at her with bright blue eyes much the same as her own was glaring at her pupil. "What do you think you where going to accomplish? Success simply because you beat a time? Foolish child; there is no success if you injure your self in the process. Injury equates to weakness and weakness is death- you are going in to a war, your enemy will stop at nothing to kill you after every mission!" _

"_I was fine! It's better to injure myself here and now then make the mistakes the first time in the field of battle! It was you who told me this when we started training!" Ayame countered and Rina stepped forward. "You may have talents that all my other students do not, and you may be a relation of blood, but do not believe that you can disobey what I tell you. I told you to stop." _

"_Rina-Sama, you may be my aunt, but do not believe that I am of the mindset of a child. I have endured your brutal training from day one, and I have also proven myself to you many times though these very means. What has changed, because it certainly hasn't been me." Ayame pulled herself out of the water, "Perhaps your having second thoughts about my position in the war because of our blood relation?" _

_Rina's elegant features lost all the anger within them, and Ayame didn't wait for an answer. She walked out of the training, and that night out of her aunts life all together. _

By the time the memory subsided Ayame was able to see the other side of the river. Her arms felt like rubber and her fingers where numb from the intense cold from the rushing northern waters. She made her first attempt to get to shore and found the dirt crumbling under her hands. Panic started to set in a new as she clawed at the bank trying to find a hand hold or at least a shallow point where she could stand or crawl. Each attempt she failed, and got washed further and further away from her target goal. She HAD to follow the trail of the hum-vi, they couldn't be left alone.

Ayame Spied a grouping of root's on the side of the embankment and in one last surge of energy she kicked forward and threw herself towards it. It crumbled under her hand just like the rest, sending her rolling down river uncontrollably. As she was plunged under the cold water she struggled to re-surface and in doing so cracked her head against something hard, saw white and then nothing at all.

* * *

_Oh My God! This was such an intense chapter! Even I got woozy thinking about Ayame in the river! I am sorry for the cliffhanger, but You know how these things go ._.;;_

_Any who, please tell me your how I am doing. Is this story good, bad, ugly, . All of the above : P If you have an opinion or an issue to share with me please review- I try to get back to all reviewers -yes even the non-logged in ones (and anonymous') If You don't get a message in your in-box here on Fan-fiction dot net, then you will get your responses here- in the authors notes along with your user name. _

_See you next time! Ja Matte! (I less then three you all!)_


	3. Chapter 3

The End Of The Waltz

Introduction

_She felt like she was floating, moving with the motions of the ocean. Up and down in a slow relaxing rate. She herd the chirping of morning birds and the buzzing of bugs that enjoyed the light frosting on leaves. Slowly she tried to pull open her eyes and found the light hurt forcing her to snap them closed again. Much slower then she had first tried, she opened her eyes again and it took so much of her energy that she felt ready to fall on her face- if she could have. In the brief moments of her being able to see all she could make out was the side of a bush, and even that was blurry. _

_Resigned to the fact that she wasn't going anywhere Ayame inwardly sighed to herself, 'At least it's peaceful.' _

* * *

Chapter Three:_Necessary Tension_

"_So what does a good teacher do? Create tension - but just the right amount."_

_~Donald Norman _

The camp was shock still as the sun started to rise. It had been three hours since the hum-vi crashed in to their clearing. Quite by accident, as the driver kept insisting.

Duo knew the silence was caused by unease other then who was in their presence. _Sonya Sergio... hard to believe that woman is still alive- though if Wufei's reaction to her arrival is anything to go by, not as hard to believe. _He thought to himself as he watched the faces of those people he had been living with for the past few months.

"So what you are saying is that red flare was a sign that the infected had made it in to the forest?" James asked as he looked at Kekko who had since they had arrived been their speaker. "No, What I am saying is that red flare you all saw was Ayame's signal to us that we had to move because there was too many infected for our ammunition- which as you see is a lot."

"You have grenades as well." Wufei pointed out and the woman nodded, "Ayame never told us where she got them, but I have a suspicion that she went in to one of the Preventer's armories to retrieve them." Wufei hummed, "Must have, unless she knew of an illegal supply. In either case it wouldn't have been easy to retrieve them"

"Aren't they only in big cities?" Duo questioned and Wufei nodded. "It's a lot easier to traverse a large city alone then it is when in a group." Akira added to which Kekko simply sighed, "So Ayame liked to say, at any rate this area can hardly be called safe anymore. Our only problem is the hum-vi is running out of gas, and there isn't any left in the town to be had."

"That could prove to be a problem, we cannot afford to leave anything behind, but we also cannot attempt to bring them with us if we have to carry them." Duo muttered

"Ayame had a plan for that." Kat stated nonchalantly as she carefully shifted her now slung arm. "It seems that this Ayame woman held a lot of plans and fail safes." Heero spoke up for the first time since they had arrived. "She was a Preventer." Heero nodded at Wufei's simple explanation, "So you have said, however this woman seems to have been three or four steps a head of everyone."

"Ayame has always been like that. She knew from the time we spent in the system that life doesn't always go the way you want it. It's much simpiler to plan for everything then to be caught unawares." Sonya interjected. "Her plan for this instance was simple: An alternate means of fuel."

"Solar enegry." James guessed, and Sonya nodded, "She spent a great deal of time while we travelled looking for a solar pannel that would be large enough to compensate for the load we would want to pull or a few of them to do the job."

"By the way your talking, I'll assume she completed her mission?" Duo asked and Sonya nodded, "About Three years ago."

"Before you ask, Ayame hasn't installed it because she didn't want to run the risk of destroying our only means of a quick get away. She constantly said that she didn't have enough knowledge of an engine to complete the task and despite my working as a mechanic- the risk was too great." Kekko cut in, "But now that she has confirmed at least one person with the skills necessary, she was willing to contact you in order to ask for assistance."

"Which she doesn't do often." Sonya looked to the new group of people. "In this she hoped that you would be willing to listen to her proposition."

"I was wondering when you would get to that." Duo uttered earning only one dirty look from Akira who didn't seem to trust anyone. "You want to propose a merger correct?" Jackie sneered as she stood behind the majority of the group glaring at the new-comers.

"Yes, But I would first like to question why you have such a dislike of us when you hardly know anything about us. We have not done anything that should have provoked your anger as far as we are aware." Sonya questioned, The woman launched forward knocking James back in to Duo, her hand already fisted and aimed towards Sonya's face.

The two women collided, and Sonya blocked the first punch from Jackie. "You've Done Nothing! What about killing rick! You selfish little Bitch! I'll Kill you!" Akira jumped all the while Wufei moved in, and Chaos erupted in the groups.

Duo struggled to get untangled from James and out of the corner of his eye watched one of the children jumping from the back of the hum-vi. A rifle went off, and everyone stopped moving. Duo looked around seeing Heero standing holding a rifle, but the lack of smoke told him the man hadn't been able to fire it off.

The sound of Jackie's fists hitting Sonya's blocking arms was cut off by a loud "Stop, or I will fire on you!" All eyes turned to look at one of the children. His black eyes locked on to Jackie's back, Duo was taken aback by such a look.

Jackie stopped hitting and slowly turned to look at the boy, a scoff on her lips. "Your just a child."

"Woman, I may be young, but I too have survived in this hellish world. Do not doubt the skills that I have acquired. It will be the last mistake you ever make."

"Martin, put that rifle down!" Sonya spoke evenly, her eyes locking on to Jackie who had her effectively pinned, "I will not Sonya, Regardless of what that other man does, I will not allow anyone to bring you harm over something they know nothing about."

"Just what exactly do you know about it!" Jackie whipped around dropping her guard from Sonya only to be pinned to the ground, and a knife pressed to her throat. "Do not presume that I am a helpless woman."

"Martin..." Heero spoke, keeping his rifle lowered, he waited until the boy turned his attention fully to him. "I would advise that you put your weapon away." The boy snorted, "Or what you'll make me? Please, I am not a fool, your too far away. Sure you could shoulder your weapon, but then again, mine already is. You could fire it from below the waste, but would it be wise to kill someone of a group you know next to nothing about? You can't think that you could charge me and not be killed before you laid a hand on me. As it stands I currently have the upper hand, and I would like to keep it that way for the time being." Martin paused as Wufei shifted slightly.

Duo watched as the boy didn't break eye contact with Heero but seemed to know every motion around him. The concentration level the boy held at such a young age was disheartening, but it was also a credit to who or what ever taught it to him. "Now, as I said I will not allow any harm to come to Sonya, or anyone else from my family. Especially when it's unprovoked. I do not wish to kill anyone, but I will to protect my family which is my right. In such, if you can manage to control your own I am willing to stand down, but not until it is proven."

"Boy, you do not know what-" Brad stopped talking as three pairs of eyes narrowed in his direction. "Do not presume to know anything." Wufei spoke, as he shifted slowly closer to Sonya. "Jackie." He added looking down at the woman who lay practically hissing at the woman on top of her. Her blue eyes looked at Wufei and she seemed to instantly wither. "Martin, I give you my word that Jackie or anyone else will bring harm to your family." He spoke without looking up at the boy. "Is that sufficient proof?"

Martin cautiously lowered his weapon, "For now Preventer Chang." The boy said slowly his eyes finally leaving Heero's to sweep the rest of the new group. "For now." He added, as the rifle hung at his side. "Miss Sergio." Wufei didn't say anything more as Sonya stood over Jackie pulling her knife away from the woman's throat. "I will not kill anyone unless I must. I haven't yet had to through out all of my life, do not make you my first." Sonya spoke to the prone woman.

"Yo, Martin, I have a question for you." Duo said diverting attentions from Sonya, Jackie and Wufei. "You can ask your question, but I will not guarantee you an answer." Duo shrugged, "Fair enough, but have you ever fired a rifle before?"

The boy smirked, "No, that was my first time." He then turned and walked back to the hum-vi and climbed inside. "huh, interesting." Duo muttered as he glanced at Heero who nodded, "The boy is very talanted." Kekko offered as she started to relax her self once more from her new place between Brad and Sonya. "And then some." Kat agreed still sitting, obviously amused by what had just occurred.

"The boy has been trained but i wouldn't say well." Brad said flatly, and the others of the group nodded. "Brad was it?" Akira asked as she backed away from blocking Chaz. "Yes."

"Let me offer you a piece of advice; Do not judge a book by it's cover." Akira slowly settled herself down beside Kat, but by the way she sat, everyone could tell that she was ready to spring in to action again at a moments notice.

"Sound advice, under the circumstances." Chaz chuckled and Jackie sprung to her feet, "Jackie, behave." James spoke up, and the woman's eyes locked on his. "You cannot tell me-" Jackie gasped as he looked at her. "You could have just gotten us all killed with your anger. Do not believe that you are the only one that matters because you are grieving. They couldn't have known that we where down there."

"Actually, Ayame and I saw you guys in the river yesterday." Kat spoke bluntly, pulling up a piece of grass. "What did you just-" Jackie froze with the look that Kat sent her. "Was I finished?" Kat questioned, and she watched Jackie step back, though Duo knew it was Wufei's slight movement that had the woman backing down not the look. "There was nothing we could have done Ayame and I where on our way back to camp. We had infected between us and them. Ayame wouldn't risk it."

"Do not place blame on yourselves." Kekko sighed, "We where the ones who made the decision to toss that grenade." Kat shook her head. "I am not placing blame on anyone, I am simply stating that given the circumstances, no one could be warned. Their position made it impossible for them to give warning to you with out risking the horde rushing. Our position stopped us from making any kind of signal, and you couldn't see them as they where pressed up against the embankment and blocked from the road." Kat stretched out her legs.

"Given the facts, you are still entitled to your rage and your sadness, however to act out on them when you weren't there is hardly fair. Of course life rarely is fair." Kat flicked the piece of grass, and Akira spoke up. "We can understand your fury, we are even willing to ignore what just transpired however-"

"The next time you attack any of us, I will kill you." Sonya broke in and finished Akira's sentence, bringing a look of shock to her face. "Wow now, no need to threaten anyone." Duo rose his hands in an sign of surrender. "You misunderstand." Sonya turned and looked at Duo, "I am not making some idol threat Mr. Maxwell, I have not fought to survive for the last four years to be attacked or killed over a grieving woman's attempt at vengeance."

"Fair enough, now why don't we stop wasting sunlight and get back to the business at hand?" He offered and Sonya nodded settling herself back on the log she had chosen as her seat. Duo was reminded of one of his brothers who's fate was unknown to him. The look she held was just as elusive and cunning, a look acquired by running a large corporation and learning just what to show and not show to a person.

"Until yesterday we did not know that anyone else was _alive_ in this region. In this, when we did find out, it was after Kekko and Akira went searching for Ayame and Kat. Of course, this lead to unforeseeable events that are disheartening, but not the less in the past and unchangable." Sonya started off again, her comments no doubt ment for Jackie who slunked back behind the group and was currently glarring at her.

"True." Kat added, "However, Ayame when she saw your group was gripping the edge of the roof we where on. She recognized you Mr. Maxwell of that I am sure. She didn't say anything until we got back to camp and the children where sleeping however." Kat sighed, "That woman is a walking contradiction at times."

"I'll assume you'll tell us what she did say?" Wufei said looking completely at ease as if the chaos had never happened and Duo found it mildly irritating and mildly entertaining. "Of course, since it was mostly meant for you." Sonya said taking the lead of the conversation, which from Duo's perspective was just how her group preferred it.

Sonya leaned forward flicking her gaze between Duo Wufei and Heero. "She said simply that Akira and Kekko where the cause of death for one of yours, but also the savior of the rest. She also said that one of those men was Duo Maxwell former pilot of a gundam." She took in a slow breath before continuing. "Ayame made a point of making that fact firm, she rarely said anything that wasn't useful information, especially when pertaining to a person."

"She never said directly who a person was unless she was positive." Akira sighed and Sonya nodded, "She went on to give us instructions should the worst case scenario occur while she was away last night."

"Her instructions being to find us?" Duo guess, and Kekko shook her head slowly. "Not so directly."

"She said and I'll quote, _'If the red flare is shot, head northeast, do not alter direction. Should you run in to the other group of survivors then inform them of the danger. Allow them to come to their own conclusions and unless given no other choice do not remain idol, keep on your path and I shall find you.'_ She rarely gave such instructions, so I want you to understand the weight of what she was saying. The Ayame who has come through the war was not the child I knew, she didn't hold one ounce of fear left in her being- however, last night I caught a glimpse of such fear in her eyes over the fire light." Sonya paused taking in all those gathered, including Jackie who despite her anger seemed greatly interested in what she said.

"Ayame is a woman of many talents and reading situations before they occur was something that she was good at. Her instructions where of a kind that I have never herd before. She was greatly worried and I believe it would be wise to keep to her instructions." Kekko added, while Kat and Akira both shifted uncomfortably. "She has always been much more specific in her instructions when it comes to so many aspects, especially when it comes to potentially meeting up with another group and when it comes to a time that she will meet with us and the like. This time she wasn't." Sonya picked up again.

"In other words, Ayame held a feeling that she wouldn't make it out alive and didn't want to voice it outloud incase you decided to go back for her." Duo observed, and Sonya shrugged, "I can't tell you, that woman is very hard to read. What I can tell you however is that Ayame was hoping that you would all consider merging our groups. She may not have said so out loud, but it was the impression I got."

"Which in it's self should tell you something, since Ayame didn't trust anyone, including herself." Kekko offered offhandedly. "That could also tell us that she was falling off her rocker you know." James added in the same manner. Akira snorted, "Bud, She fell off her rocker long before I met her."

"In either case, the idea of merging our two groups is one that would take time to consider, especially since that would mean sharing resources." Brad interjected, and Chaz nodded. "That is on point I would like to have brought up, because we cannot be expected to protect each other when we don't know if a rifle is being pointed at our backs."

"Well we know that one will be pointed at ours from at least one of your members, but that is not something to concern ourselves over at this time, right now we have a more pressing matter to consider." Kekko sighed, "The hum-vi is running low on fuel and the gas is dried up in this area. We won't get more then half a mile on what's left and that's with just our stuff. Towing yours and carrying everybody is going to dry up the fuel much faster. We have the alternate fuel source but that is going to take time to integrate in to the hum-vi and we could wind up here over night if the rain I fell coming does indeed hit us."

Duo took an experimental sniff of the air and frowned, "I don't smell rain." He muttered and Akira chuckled, "Kekko is like a blood hound when it comes to bad weather, trust me when she says rain is coming, then it most definitely is."

"Okay, so we help you make your alterations what do you have in return if we do not decide it's in our best interest to merge our groups?" Duo asked, and Akira made a low sound of disapproval, but it was cut short by Sonya's slight chuckle.

"We have First aid equipment, which is becoming increasingly rare to come by."

Duo had to force his jaw to close and Sonya nodded. At her nod, Kekko moved towards the drivers side of the Hum-vi and lifted a red pouch off the seat. When she walked back she tossed it at Duo who fumbled with catching it.

When it was firmly in his grasp, he knelt down and unzipped the polyester bag. Inside was rolls up gauze, tensor bandages and ointments from sore muscles to stopping infection. " Keep it, as a gesture of good faith." Sonya said simply as James Duo and Brad stood slack jawed, Chaz Heero and Wufei watched them with caution and Jackie glared at the offending bag.

"We're going to have to talk about this as a group before we make any kind of decisions." Duo finally spoke and Sonya nodded, "Of course, but remember we will not wait for long. We are more then willing to risk the half a mile before risking a horde."

"Fair enough."

* * *

_Ayame knew she was dreaming, she didn't know how she knew this, but she did. She was laying on her front, her hair pulled to one side as hands where pressing in to the tightened muscles of her back. It was painful but also enormously relaxing. "I know it hurts Aya, but please just bare with it." A soft innocently worried voice prattled from behind her. _

"_I know." She whispered her eyes lowering sleepily. "Rina has been working you too hard. I know she is anxious for you to be the best you can be, especially with this competition approaching but still. Your so knotted up and stiff it's not healthy." _

"_Sonya, Rina is my aunt.. she proved it with DNA testing. She has been looking for me my entire life I owe her to simply do everything she asks." Ayame's response sounded rehearsed being that this was a dream it wouldn't surprise her to find it was a memory...What ever it was Dream or memory, she didn't want to leave it was far too relaxing._

"_Ayame!" Sonya's squealing of her name shattered the relaxed state she had been in, and forced a sigh from her slightly parted lips. "Father is getting worried about you. Your always out, you never attend any of our lessons and when you do come home your injured, tired and so sore... It's almost like your training for a war not a martial arts competition." _

"_You don't need to worry sister, I am getting schooling from Rina, and my injuries are my own doing. Rina is a very strict but kind person, sort of like fathers latest would be wife." Sonya snorted, "That floozie is not going to be father's wife if I have anything to say about it." Ayame pushed up off the couch and pulled the sheet with her to cover her top. "I thought you liked Margaret." _

_Sonya crossed her arms over her chest and humphed. "That woman is only after the company, she even accosted me in the hall way and told me to stop snooping on her. Of course this was after I _had_ been snooping on her and over herd a little conversation she had with her _father_." Ayame felt every muscle that Sonya had loosened tighten up again. _

"_What kind of conversation?" Sonya gave her a strange look before waving her off, "Oh it was utter nonsense really. Something about _hime-sama_ not being at the house... oh and she said some silly quote like _'Still she haunts me, phantomwise... never seen by waking eyes.' _I think it was from Alice in wonderland... but I'm not sure." _

_Ayame sighed, "It's from the second book Adventures through the looking glass and she even muddled up the quote. It's really 'Still she haunts me, phantomwise, Alice moving under skies never seen by waking eyes.' It's the fourth paragraph in the poem that spells out the first 'Alice' character's name." _

"_How did you remember that?" Sonya blinked at Ayame. she returned the dumbfounded expression with a cheeky smile. "It's my favorite story book. Well, they both are my favorite books. You should remember I always got father to read them before bed." Sonya slapped her shoulder, "Yeah and I hardly ever got to have lion king read! I remember now! You jerk!" _

_Ayame watched as a couch cushion was tossed at her and just as it was going to hit the scene changed._

_She was standing in the hall way of her adopted fathers manner a thunder storm had rolled in. She had just gotten home from talking with her aunt about what Sonya had told her. She had been given her first official task- get rid of Margaret. _

_She was dressed in all black to help conceal her, and because that was what she normally wore these days. Lightening streaked across the sky and it sent her shadow along the plush expensive hall way runner. Right on Que the parlor door opened as it had every night since Margaret had first been brought to live with them. _

_Ducking behind an over sized vase with over sized feathers sticking out of the top, Ayame watched as Margret left her father in his parlor and walked in to her study. The woman was an article writer for some magazine dealing with woman's fashions. The name of which never really mattered to Ayame, but they had lost their reading room so that Margaret could have her office. A place where she was to be left completely and utterly alone. _

_Ayame ran silently down the hall, avoiding all the squeaky floor boards and slid in to the office. Once she closed and locked the door, Ayame stood in the center of the brightly lit room. "I thought your father told you that I am not to be bothered while I am working." Margaret looked back over her shoulder her reading glasses sliding off an elegant nose, her eyes forming the look of a soft reprimand. _

"_I am wondering about something I read in Alice in Wonderland." The woman closed her lap top and turned fully to face the girl. "Is that so, maybe I can help you out Ayame after all I know a great deal about the theories behind Alice in wonderland." _

"_This is why I came to you, being such an accomplished author and all." Margaret nodded as she Clasp her hands in front of her. "So what are you wondering about?" Ayame sighed and looked at a book shelf that was her fathers and found the book she wanted, "This here," She opened it to the very back and pointed at the long poem at the end of Through the Looking Glass. "Specifically Paragraph four." _

"_Ah you have been talking with Sonya." The woman let out a soft sigh. "You see Ayame I have a niece that is staying with my father and I was trying to help her with her homework." Ayame wasn't having any of it._

"_So you left out the second line? Sonya may be innocent but she has a very good memory. She also told me about you uttering threats to her. I warned you when you first arrived any actions towards that girl would bring you much more pain then you would want." Ayame stepped forward, slowly. "Now I am just wondering are you the march hare or are you the dormouse?" _

"_What do you mean?" _

"_Margaret don't play dumb I know you are working for the mad hatter, and I know you are looking for Alice aka, Rina the princess, or hime-sama. So why don't we get this out of the way and I'll simply say that tonight you die."_

"_Do you honestly think that you can kill me, and get away with it? Ha, please! Your only eleven years old... what could you possibly do?" Ayame Produced a silenced weapon, her face drawn in to a stoic mask as she held it up some the woman could clearly see the object that would be the death of her. "I can do quite a bit. Since I am the wind." _

_Margaret didn't get a chance to scream as her gloved hands pulled the trigger. As Margaret's forum slumped forward Ayame Moved quickly to cover up what she had just done, just like she was taught. Pulling the silencer from the gun Ayame walked to the book-shelf._

_Pulling out three books from the shelf she slid the gun back in to it's hiding place and tossed her gloves in to the fire place as she passed. She used her sleaves to lift open the window, and walked back to the center of the room, unlocking the door. _

_From the door she screamed "NO DON'T! MARGARET!" as loud as she could all the while Forcing herself to fall bodily forward knocking her head off the corner of the desk. She was laying on the floor for what seemed like an eternity, her vision blackening._

"_Sonya Call the police." Those words where what Ayame next herd, A deep baritone voice that was unmistakably her fathers through the darkness. "Ayame, Ayame look at me love." She felt his tender loving hands turning her over and she forced herself to look up at him through fluttering eye-lashes. _

"_I-I tried to stop them... Margaret... MARGARET!" She bolted up right only to be stopped by her father. "Ayame don't look." He sheltered her this faceless man from her dreams, as he carried her out of the room and closed the door behind them. _

_Ayame's stomach felt sick, and her body was numb, she couldn't keep focused on anything, as the world spun around her. "Father she looks like she is going to be-" Sonya didn't get a chance to say anything else as Ayame's stomach let loose her dinner all over the floor. _

"_Wilson! Call the doctor!" Ayame fainted as her father's worried face hovered over her. _

* * *

"I don't like it." Jackie insisted, earning another round of stares. "Unfortunately Jackie, your out voted. If it's a matter of trust then you will either learn to trust them or learn to deal with your distrust. It's our best option of survival." They all looked at the smaller woman

"Why are we simply taking their word for everything. Just because it makes sense and matches with what we saw last night?" Jackie threw her hands in the air.

"Jackie makes a good point," James started and when they all looked at him he continued. "I am not saying that we cannot merge our groups together, however why don't we at least try and find out just how much of their well woven story is truth?"

Brad and Chaz shared a look before looking back at James expectantly, "Well just how do you suggest we do that? Send someone to go look for themselves to see if there is a horde just waiting over the river?" When James didn't response Jackie smacked him on the back of the head. "You can't be serious! That would be suicide!"

"Not if your a tracker. Besides, it's easier for two people to get around a large group of the infected then it is for all of us. I am not saying we go in to the heart of the forest, just try and find out just what happened. The infected have probably been lead away from the area by their friend anyway. Shit I'll go just to put our questions at ease."

Duo clapped James on the shoulder, "well that seals it. Can't very well just ignore this if your willing to stick your neck out to confirm or deny Jackie's suspicions. Unfortunately you can't go. Your sense of direction in the forest is next to nothing, and I am sure our tracker wouldn't want to waste time looking for you." Duo looked at Heero who had been volunteered for the job, but had not voiced a protest.

"Wufei your well versed in military vehicle mechanics are you not?" Heero looked to the man who had once been his rival, "I am." When Heero Nodded Duo felt like he had been left out of some important decision. "Then it's decided, We'll get everything set and ready to go on a moment's notice. While you and Duo scope out the situation on the other side of the river."

Duo nodded then the last part of what Brad had voiced brought him to stop and blink. "Wait a minute, Why me?"

"Because you volunteered, and your better suited to the job." Wufei stated with a finality that told Duo that he wouldn't win an argument if he was actually opposed to the idea, which he wasn't. "Fair enough, now there is just one more thing to discuss."

"The food." Sharon, a fair skinned, thick boned woman sighed as she looked from the practical leaders of their group to the rest of them. "If we are to simply base our trust off of what they say and do then how are we to be willing to just share our hard gained food?"

Duo held up his hand, stopping effectively what would have turned in to an all out squabbling fest. "For now, don't. We shall have to just see what comes after we start work on the try not to forget that they just handed us an ungodly amount of medical equipment that could have cost us more then the risk in acquiring if we had to go and get it ourselves." Duo waited a moment to see if anyone was going to speak over him, "Also, since we have already ruffled their feathers, we could try to smooth them out by trying to work together. Since I for one quite like the idea of merging with another group of capable survivors."

"Does anyone object to this?" Heero questioned growing tired of objections and bickering. When no one spoke up he took it as a sign of the conversations end. "_hn_" With his utterance he turned and walked away from the group, leaving Duo to follow after him, with a final "Play nice." and a wave.

* * *

"Well it looks like they have finally finished their group conversation." Akira yawned, her right hand stretching up to scratch the top of her head. "About time too." Kat hummed her agreement, and watched as one of the pilots walked away from the group and stepped in to a small pop-trailer.

The trailer had been outfitted to remain open, and re-enforced with steel plating of some kind to make it stronger which gave Kekko the impression that it house something of importance. "It's most likely their supply house... Though, looks a little small considering just how many people they have."

"They already confirmed this, not directly but remember when you were talking about the fuel shortage..." Kat uttered as she lay with her eyes closed and head proped on the log beside the fire. "Oh yeah, I remember now. Interesting that I didn't think of that while we where talking... I really must be tired."

"That's what you get for the all night vigal night before last, then the search yesterday... You sorta asked for it." Akira muttered, "Also the fact that you haven't eaten since yesterday morning..."

Sonya sent a look to Kekko telling the woman that she too had noticed, and openly said, "I should see if the children are hungry, after all it's almost noon, and they still haven't eaten anything today."

"Good Idea." Akira turned her head to follow Sonya as she walked around the Hum-Vi. "Make some extra just in-case." When Sonya stalled and glanced back at her she shrugged, "Hey can't be too prepared- and I wouldn't blame them they aren't willing to share. Might as well give it a shot- I mean shit, it's something Ayame would do... don't you think?"

Sonya nodded a small tight smile on her face, "Of course it is, I am just wondering if that's the only reason you suggested it." Akira scrunched her face, "It has something to do with beating them to the punch, and proving we can indeed be trusted in our word or something of that matter."

"Not exactly." Kekko looked at Akira, "Ah, what ever, Just make sure to spit in the one your planning on offering Jackie!" The dark skinned woman smiled her brown eyes, saying that she would like to do nothing else, but wouldn't stoop so low before walking away.

Akira crossed her arms and flopped on the ground. "Bloody woman, she is such a mother at heart, hard to believe she was some scary CEO or what ever..."

"Hard to believe you passed the second grade with your manner of speech." Kat uttered eyes still closed, and Akira glared at her. "What was that Kathrine?" Kekko sighed as the two women started yet another one of their infamous petty arguments that usually resulted in a head ache on her part and the two of them laughing.

* * *

"_Katherine! You have better be careful with that almighty attitude of yours!"_

"_Almighty?Just because I am prettier then you, better proportioned, and can still fire a weapon with one arm out of commission- wait I guess that does make me a goddess." _

"_KATHERINE!" _

James swallowed heavily as he glanced at Wufei, "Are you sure we want to be getting closer to them?" Wufei couldn't help but smirk at the boy.

"You have a lot to learn about women, It doesn't matter how far away you are from them when they start to bicker- they'll find a way to get you involved one way or another." James jumped as he spotted the woman called Kekko watching him from the fire pit. "Your sorta creepy has anyone told you that?"

"All the time, Now, whats the verdict?" Kekko extended her hand in invitation for the two men to sit. James took the offer, while Wufei remained standing. "We're pretty set in going along with this, but for now we are going to play it by ear. You understand I am sure that it's a little hard to simply trust that you won't all pile in to your hum-vi once it's modified and drive off with our supplies."

"Granted. So I would be right to assume that Mr. Maxwell and Mr. Yuy, right, are heading off to track the horde and confirm our story?" Kekko asked, and Wufei nodded, "Your pretty shrewd you know that." James pointed out bringing the bickering red-heads to stop and look at him. "No Shit!" Akira drawled as Kat laughed.

"Shrewd is being polite kid."

Kekko rolled her eyes, "I totally feel the love Kat, thanks. Remind me to pay you back when we figure out whats going on next." Kat stuck out her tongue and Kekko returned to the conversation before her. "So I would then assume that you are here to assist in re-fitting the Hum-vi to be Eco-friendly." When Wufei nodded Kekko rose her eyebrow at him, it was a look he was used to seeing from Maxwell, but from a woman it was completely different. "You don't talk much do you?"

"Only when speech is pertinent." At his response Kekko then nodded at him, "I see, Alright. I'll get the jack out and we'll get started."

"Your going to be working on the hum-vi too?" James inquired with a tone of disbelief. "Of course, Do you honestly think I would let anyone work on my car with out me being right there." Kekko's tone told Wufei that she would be very much like Duo, but without the dramatics that the American tended to be pared with, at least he very much hoped that would be the case... he didn't know if he could survive with another Duo Maxwell walking about- especially one who PMS'd. "Ready to get started?" At Wufei's nod Kekko grunted. "good."

* * *

_Authors notes: _

_Hello again, Welp we're back here, at the dreaded ending of a chapter. I must say that I think I quite enjoy my self created characters in this story much more then i would have thought. __This being said, I am really having fun building the characters dynamics when the are talking to new people, and people they are used to. It's also quite enjoyable to be out of the_ norm _for my fictions. _

_Any-who to wrap this up a bit... Hope you liked this chapter. Please READ AND REVIEW, it keeps me inspired to write more. _

_This is my christmas present to all you guys, my readers- if there are any of you left xP sadly this is the end of my uploading spree, hopefully, i may get another chapter up before the new year- it will depend highly on the number of reviews i get between now and then. _

_Until next time, have a great holiday season, stay safe and happy. Much love, and many blessings. _


	4. Chapter 4

The End Of The Waltz

Chapter Four : _Earning Trust_

"_Without trust, words become the hollow sound of a wooden gong._

_With trust, words become life itself." _

_-Unknown_

* * *

Heero stood hunched over beside a small smudge in the earth, his Persian blue eyes watching the distance. He rose his finger to his lips signaling for utter silence, and Duo knew well to obey that command. They had been out for just over two hours and clouds hung threatening in the air, the scent of a spring rain storm was not a welcomed one.

_At least they didn't lie about that, not that I am happy about it._ No sooner had the thought crossed Duo's mind did lightening shatter the sky. "just great." he muttered earning a death glare from Heero who stood beside a tree eye's turning back to the distance. Duo followed his gaze and swallowed hard. Infected clustered around tall spruce reaching in to the air for something tied to a tree branch. From what he could tell it wasn't human, but in the condition it appeared to be he couldn't be too sure. _There has to be at least fifty of them..._ Duo didn't want to try and count.

Duo slowly turned his attention back to Heero. He had started to move on ward, keeping close to the ground, as if he was able to hear something other people couldn't. It didn't take them long to lose sight of the infected, and come across what Duo could only describe as carnage at it's best.

A large black circle singed the ground, around it, infected lay permanently dead. "Well I think we found ground zero." Duo whispered, knowing that they may not be able to see the infected but they could certainly hear the two of them. Heero hummed his affirmation, his finger brushing the singed ground. Duo could only watch as Heero's eyes scanned the area looking for some sign of life that wasn't from the infected, some sign that Ayame Taylor had been the person to cause the explosion, and survive. _Or at very least not be turned in to one of those things..._

Duo didn't want to know what went through Heero's mind while standing in such a ominous place. The simple fact that the man seemed riveted on the mission they had been given was a sign of utter calm. _It's almost as if nothing phases this man now... Like he doesn't have any emotions left. _It brought a shutter to run through him before he turned his attention to the surrounding area.

Trees where a mix of thick and thin, it wasn't a forest that one would be easily lost in so long as they looked skyward every so often. The trees where full of leaves being still mid spring, but soon the canopy would blot out most of the sky. The patchwork underbrush told Duo that the are had been well traveled before anyone was camping out- possibly before the terrorist attack that changed everything.

Spruce, pine, oak, all such trees where a mans best friend, and in this forest Duo was sure that would be the case for the women who had been encamped in the area. Thick trucks that weren't too thick as to hide an infected, but one could use them to out maneuver the clumsy things. Slowly his look around brought Duo to watch Heero again.

Heero knelt on the ground looking intently at the corpse of one infected, something had caught the mans eagle like eyes and that was enough to intrigued Duo. When Heero's head snapped up to look at a bush, Duo couldn't help but jump is attention to the same area. They both moved slowly, cautiously towards the shrubbery, and Duo started to see something just sticking out of the entangled branches. He couldn't make out what it was, but Heero found great interest in it as he got closer and closer. The suspense was killing Duo, and he was about to voice it when Heero reached in to the bush pulled out a katana.

Duo could feel his face fall in to a look of shock, he could tell a battle ready weapon when he saw one- thanks entirely to Wufei's love of such weapons. The idea that one could be found in the area where a grenade had been detonated and have it still be in not only one piece but practically untouched by the blast was unthinkable. _Let not forget the fact that it would have been used on the infected in close quarters combat... Shit, that woman has to be insane... and dead._ Duo thought to himself.

Heero lifted the blade to his arm and cleaned it of blood and dirt. Once the weapon was clean he glanced at Duo with a quirked eyebrow. The question he was asking was one that Duo himself couldn't translate, for such a look was uncommon and Duo didn't wish to fathom a guess. When Heero held out the weapon for Duo to hold, he had to suppress a shudder. _I really don't want to hold that..._ he thought but grasp the hilt anyway.

Duo never really liked such weapons, they where fore hacking and slashing at a person. Ripping apart their body and their soul in the same moments. He preferred the quick kill of a bullet not the torture a sword brought. _Of course that would be what Wufei calls my inexperience with such a weapon talking._

Thunder rumbled above as Duo examined the weapon closer, finding that the blade was very well taken care of, minus a scorch mark that hadn't come off with the blood and dirt. _How the hell am I supposed to carry this and still hold on to my rifle..._ Duo's thought brought the image of the many comic books he had read during and after the war. _That could work... I hope._ Moving his jacket out of the way, Duo slid the blade in to his belt, hoping it wouldn't slice open his leg or worse.

Duo looked around once the blade was securred, or as much so as he could hope fore, only to find Heero gone from his sights. _Where the hell...? _His silent question was answered as a leaf fell from the tree branch above him. When he looked he nearly jumped out of his skin to see Heero staring down at him. _'Follow me on ground level.'_ He signed and Duo nodded slowly trying to get his heart rate back to a normal level.

_Bad enough infected are crawling about, but he is skulking in trees now... Jesus why me?_Shouldering his rifle, Duo watched for a moment marking the path in the trees Heero was taking then begun to follow, keeping a vigilant eye out for stray infected. He really didn't want to get caught by them while on the ground, especially when the sky was getting increasingly dark.

* * *

Kekko and Wufei hadn't gotten very far in to their work when Sonya's voice rang through-out the camp. "If anyone's hungry come and get it!" It was more effective at stopping the camp then martin's rifle shot. Kekko chuckled as she looked at the dumbstruck camp. "Guess your friends don't think much of us..."

"They aren't acustomed to people willing to share their supplies with out any kind of compensation or garentees." Slowly Kekko's eyes slid to Wufei, "Oh, We aren't worried about compensation, or garentees... We are more worried about survival. If that means we all go a little less full, it's a small price to pay when earning people's trust in this new hellish world."

"Indeed." Wufei hummed, watching as James was the first one to make his way to where Sonya had set up a replacement fire pit. Sonya and James exchanged a few words before she handed him a wooden bowl. Just as he thanked the woman, the children made their way to Sonya. Martin trailing behind the younger ones who laughed and raced.

"Funny the effect children have on an otherwise potentially hostile environment." Kekko mused, watching as Brad and Chaz chuckled to one another and Sharon smirked as she watched them. "Children tend to have a disarming effect on people, this is why they are so often used for vile means."

Kekko looked at Wufei again, "True enough, granted now a days we don't have to worry over that." Wufei rose an eyebrow at her, and she chuckled, "I am generally good a reading people, and you don't come off as the kind of person who would place a child's life in danger, no matter what the end is."

"I would do anything to protect my family, of course that would include involving a child if it was the only option available to me. Do not believe that I am above such acts." Kekko _huh'd_ as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Some how I doubt that."

"Doubt it if you wish, but remember I warned you." Kekko chuckled darkly, "Oh you may have warned me, but does that mean your trying a ploy to see how I will react, or your being serious that is what has to be determined. Don't forget, I have been watching you since we started." At Wufei's blank look she shrugged, "If you can bring harm to an innocent, then maybe we're better off leaving you all to your own devices."

"That would hardly be wise, considering your engine is half apart, you couldn't very well just drive away." Wufei mentioned offhandedly. "Maybe not, but we could just kill you all- use your bodies as lures for the infected, and fix the hum-vi and be gone by night fall." Akira said as she rounded the vehicle. The tone in her voice had Wufei's back reflexively straightening, "Funny how our threats sound more threatening then yours, isn't it Mr. Preventer?" Kat added.

Kekko sent them both a dirty look. "The object here is to earn their trust not make them believe that we are cold blooded killers." Kat shrugged, "We would much rather not have to wash their blood off our hands, but we're not above thinking that as an option. After all, our survival comes above anyone else."

Akira nodded in agreement, "well almost anyone else, seeing as those children are more important to us then our own lives." Kat slid up beside Wufei, "So just remember Mr. Preventer, there is only one way you could condemn your family to the most painful death imaginable." Kat ensured that he was watching her out of the corner of his eye before she continued, "Attempting something so foolhardy as using those children in any manner is highly ill advised."

"Alright Girls, don't give the man a heart attack I think he gets the point." Kekko sighed dry washing her face, "I mean seriously, don't you get the idea of Trusting others?" She looked pointedly at Akira, "I trust no one until I get to know them, if you remember correctly Kekko I wasn't all to kind to you either."

Kekko sighed for a second time. "No, no you weren't."

"Hey, you've never been nice to me!" Kat accused, and Akira shrugged, "that's because I don't like you, I simply tolerate your existence." As Akira started to walk away, Kat followed behind her bring about round two of their earlier fight.

"Your commrades know how to issue threats." Wufei said after a moment of relitive silence. "Oh, they wheren't uttering threats, they where being completely serious and giving you a promise. They are more protective over those children then any of us combine. At least openly." Kekko turned to face Wufei again. "With that being said, I don't see any reason to give you any threats, promises or advice, because I hold no fear for those children."

"No fear for their safety?" Wufei found it very hard to believe, "None, for one very good reason." Kekko glanced at the kids as they sat eating their own lunch of what Kekko could tell was beans again. "That would be?" Wufei prompted and Kekko looked at him again, "Martin wouldn't let anything happen to them. He may be young in body, but he was the one who kept them alive for almost six months before I ran in to them. You witnessed first hand a very small extent of just what that gave him."

"I did." Wufei nodded, then said flatly. "I also know who is original teacher was." As he moved back to the hum-vi Kekko chuckled making her way to the food, knowing she needed it if she was going to last the rest of the day.

* * *

_She couldn't get the sensation of floating out of her mind, like the tide had gained on her while sleeping on some beach somewhere. 'But I don't sleep on beaches, I don't even like them very much...' She though foggily to herself. 'maybe Akira dragged us to a beach somewhere... a small cove and I did fall asleep...' She tried to pull her eyes open, only to find they where glued to one another. _

_Slowly lifting her hand she tried to rub at her eyes only to find her body starting to slip off some incline. 'the hell...' Ayame Kicked her feet and herd a splashing sound and felt her clothing sticking to her being. _

_Everything came back to her in a rush, as she tugged herself up the steep embankment and out of the water. Her muscles quivering in an attempt to keep her warm. She knuckled her eyes and forced them to open, her head pounded at the sudden light- if that was what she could call it. _

_The sky above her was over cast, and only darker clouds loomed on the horizon. Lightening flickered in the distance. She looked around her, and saw faintly in the distance the outline of what she could assume was the town she had been near... or a completely new one. She was completely lost, and her only sense of direction was up stream. _

"_Shit." Ayame looked up at the sky as the rain started to fall in fat, cold drops, as if nature was laughing at her, for the sky was perfectly clear, and she knew instantly she was dreaming. As she closed her eyes the sensations of floating came back to her and her eyes would not open again, no matter how hard she tried. Quickly she was over taken by panic and the dark nothingness of unconsciousness. _

* * *

They had been walking for what seemed like hours, and Duo was amazed at Heero sense of balance, the man moved slowly, yet still quickly. They had passed a few straying groupings of infected, making Duo a bit further behind Heero then he would have liked. Alas he knew nothing could be done about it.

On a sigh Duo wondered just what Heero was up to in those tree branches because in his mind there was no way a single woman who was no doubt caught in the middle of a horde the size of which he could only guess, would have been able to find and run a path through the trees that Heero was following. '_Then again it's never really smart to second guess Heero's abilities, you never know..._'Duo told himself. Stifling a yawn Duo glanced around and continued his walking all the while wishing he was up in the trees.

Heero slowed to a near crawl, his eyes watching the groupings he could see in the distance. He knew that Duo couldn't see them through the thicket but would undoubtedly hear them if they veered closer. There were too many in the forest, but because of their clumsy means of walking Heero didn't have a fear that they would attempt to charge and do any real damage. Slowly his gaze turned to a few breaks in the branches, Fresh and only a few hours old at best. The space through the breaks was small, and it told him that the person maneuvering the tree top pathway was also small. A woman, or young man. By the size of the breaks in the smaller branches, no more then one-hundred-fifteen pounds at most.

_They where carrying something, most likely a bag by the shape of their passing. They where hunched over and moving at a great speed judging by the angle of the intact branches. The scuffing on the bark is also a good indicator of their speed. _

_It's strange, just how much one person's survival instincts allows them to find a means of escape- or rather potential escape in the darkness of night. If this Ayame Taylor is indeed alive, then I am impressed._

Glancing down to check on his partner Heero noted that Duo was moving away from him towards what looked like a man-made clearing. _I have to follow the trail, or risk having to back track to find it again. Duo be careful I'll join to when I can._ He thought knowing that Duo couldn't hear him, and continued on his way.

* * *

Kekko pulled her head out from under the Hum-vi, wiping her forehead smearing grease all over her face. "shit it's hot under there. Oi, Akira make yourself useful and pass me that 5 wrench." When Akira didn't answer her, Kekko sat up exposing her grass stained back. "Where the hell did Akira go?" She muttered glancing up at Wufei who pulled his head out of the engine block. "With Sonya and the kids to find them a place to use the facilities." He reported, wiping his hands on a rag.

"Of course she did." Kekko pushed herself off the ground and walked over to the bright red tool box that she had rescued from none-use in one of the towns they had passed. "Where the hell is my size five wrench..." Kekko muttered as she dug noisily through the tool box, earning a strange look from Wufei. "For a woman your fairly disorganized."

"Blame it on the fact that I am- was an author." Kekko responded with out looking up her concentration on finding the elusive wrench. "Now, how's stripping away the gas line coming?" Wufei didn't get a chance to answer as she whooped and held up the wrench she had been looking for. He couldn't help the slight smirk that pressed against his muscles, and shook his head as the woman once again reminded him of Duo.

"Oi, earth to Wufei." Wufei blinked and started when Kekko waved the wrench before his eyes. "Hello, gas line, any progress?"

"No." Wufei stated simply and Kekko blinked, "pardon, you've been working on it for over an hour. I also have it on good authority that your not inept with tools or mechanics, so want to tell me what the hell you have been doing all this time?"

"I've been re-routing the electrical to draw the energy from the solar panel and store it in the battery. When the battery is full it will run completely off of the solar energy it's drawing in at the time. Why what have you been doing?" Wufei asked with a hint of worry on his face, as he looked over her greased forehead.

"I've been prepping for the gas line! For Fuck Sakes, I though we agreed that the gas line was a good place to start!" Kekko grabbed her hair in frustration, and Wufei rose his eyebrow. "It was, However you cannot worry over the gas line until you know where your electrical is going, and we're not getting rid of the gas line, simply because it is a good back up source of energy for the motor systems should anything happen to the solar panel."

"Why didn't you say anything before!" Kekko didn't allow him to answer as she stormed off and slid back under the hum-vi, muttering, "men, they either can't work and talk too much, or they work well but don't communicate... is it really so hard to ask for both?"

Wufei sighed and half shrugged sticking the rag back in his pocket he watched Jackie approaching the hum-vi. "How's things going?" she asked in a manner that if Kekko could her would have told her Jackie wasn't in the least interested in knowing the answer, over what had just happened. The woman wanted an excuse to cause another fight.

"Fine." Wufei accepted the meal drink she held out to him, with a gracious nod before looking over the engine. "Once Kekko is finished with the underside, we're ready to give it a test go."

"Like Hell We Are." Kekko yelled from under the hum-vi. "We still have to rip apart the fuel lines, clean and re-route them, then we have to make sure the break lines won't be hindered by our upgrades, and the exhaustion needs to be put back in place. Never mind the oil pan and the- Son of a... You will come off!" Kekko's rant had gone back to what ever it was she was doing under the vehicle, leaving Jackie to lean closer to Wufei. "She is a bit eccentric don't you think?"

"I would say Determined." James whispered in Jackie's ear having the girl squeak and jump around fist flying at the man. "James you ass-hole! I'll Kill you! Come back here! How many Times have I told you to NEVER sneak up on me!" Wufei watched with a slight fascination as Jackie chased James, all of her earlier anger and resentment placed on the back burner for the time being.

"Are they related?" Kekko asked as she slid out from under the hum-vi and tossed some part of the Vehicle on the grass. "No, despite how much it would appear otherwise." Kekko nodded, "Reminds me of Kat and Akira. Only those two seem to be a bit more tame in their fighting." When Kekko motioned to James and Jackie, the former avoiding canned food items Wufei chuckled. "From what I have seen, Your friends are the tamer of the two." This brought a laugh from Kekko. "We'll see, now, lets have a look at what you have been doing." Wufei nodded again stepping away from the front of the Hum-vi giving Kekko ample space to check his work.

"How long has your friends been gone now?" Kekko questioned ofhandedly with her head inside the vehicle. "A few hours, but I don't expect them to be back for some time yet. Heero can be quite thorough." At Wufei's explanation Kekko hummed, "So long as they get back before dark, I don't want to have to send out a search to find out what happened to them."

"We don't send out searches. It wastes resources, and time. It could also bring the infected to kill more of our own." Kekko looked up at Wufei from under her arm. "I have had this discussion with Ayame on a number of occasions. I am a firm believer of no one gets left behind. One day it could be you out there; and I'll still be looking. If you and your group have a problem with that then you can just deal."

"I wouldn't fight her on that Mr. Chang." Sonya laughed lightly as she walked over to the two of them Mary walking beside her holding two sandwiches. "Have something to eat, you both haven't eaten much today. We have Beans on the new fire pit, and Coffee brewing in the kettles, I know it's not exactly dinner time, but somehow I doubt we will have time for such luxuries."

"Where's Martin and Jimmy?" Kekko questioned biting in to the sandwich that Mary had handed her.

"With the nice lady." Mary piped up, pointing back towards the newly made fire pit. "We're helping." She added with a bright smile. "and you all doing a great job." Sonya smiled down at Mary, before turning to look at Kekko once more, "So how long do you think this is going to take?"

"A few hours at least, Tell them to prepare for a possible nights stay, or at least a late leaving." Kekko looked at Wufei as he spoke, and nodded slowly. "I don't like the idea about sticking around or leaving after dark, but we may just have no choice."

"I'd have to agree, It's not a preferable option." Sonya looked to the sky, "You guys are going to need to cover the engine the rain's starting." Sonya looked down at Mary and asked the girl. "would you be a dear and drag Akira away from Kat to help me?"

"Okay!"

* * *

On the ground Duo stepped over a short bush and avoided low hanging branches, his violet eyes locked on to what looked like a burnt out fire pit. He scanned the trees behind him looking for sign of the infected and for Heero in the tops. He found neither. Sighing for what seemed like the hundredth time Duo moved in to the clearing proper.

The sounds of the infected moving aimlessly in the forest created an atmosphere of death and danger, one that Duo greatly disliked anywhere outside of _fiction _and _movies_ neither of which he would be picking up anytime soon.

Slowly he made his way to the fire pit, kneeling down he ran his hand over the pit, feeling a mild warmth emanating from the embers. '_They left the fire burning... Quick get away, and no warning. _The sky above started getting darker, and Duo glanced through the tree tops at the rain clouds racing across the sky. _We won't make it back in time to stay out of the rain..._ Duo thought to himself, and he really didn't want to stay in the forest surrounded by infected until the weather broke. Mildly the thought came to him, _That Taylor woman, she wouldn't have been feeling any better when she knew that her friends where leaving with out her. _

Duo clenched his teeth, _If she got away, we'll find her. _He silently vowed. Behind him something thumped and he spun around his rifle shouldered looking at Heero who wasn't in the least worried that he was going to be shot. By the way the man looked at him, Duo knew that he held some kind of disturbing news. "She's gone." Silently Duo clenched his teeth, cursing inwardly.

* * *

_Slowly she opened her eyes, the sun was beaming in her face as voices echoed from some distant place she couldn't define. Slowly she sat up, her side hurt, and her arm was numb. 'Ayame, be careful.' Sonya's gentle worried voice brought her to look around. The woman was sitting on her knees beside her wringing out a cloth of water. _

_'What happened?' She asked as she moved despite the under laying order in her friends voice. 'We got away, but you fell off the back of the hum-vi. You haven't been eating again, and your over exerting yourself. Martin and Akira got you back inside, and we're safe for now.' _

_'What about the other survivors, they'll be looking for us.' Sonya shook her head. 'No they won't, Kekko dealt with them while Kat was driving, but the RPG is useless so we had to scuttle it.' Ayame sighed as she stood up on her shaky legs. 'Where are we now?' _

_'Half way between Hamilton and Dunnville.' Ayame glared at Sonya, 'Why are we so close to a big city! Are you all crazy!' She didn't wait for an answer as she leaped from the hum-vi. When she landed she wasn't in some forest or some under pass, instead all around her was chaos. _

_People where screaming and running for their lives, the cries of the infected closing in around them. She felt the weight of her weapon in her hands and another one slung on her back. Her clothing felt different, heavier, more protective. 'Taylor! Fall back! We're going to be over run and they're sending in an air strike team to hopefully burn the bastards.' _

_She turned confused, looking back at who was talking to her. A tall man, with wide shoulders was waring the black combats of the Preventer Emergency forces. His face was covered by a gas mask and beside him was the Armaments of the Earth's protective forces. Military vehicles and tanks stood at the ready. 'Where is Sonya?' she asked and the man gripped her shoulder, 'Safe on the outskirts of the city right where you left her, now MOVE!' He pulled her back, shoving her towards the vehicles. _

_'What about the survivors! We can't just leave them!' Ayame pulled out of his grip, her eyes glaring at him. 'Preventer code says that all civilians come before Preventers in a state of emergency, Now MOUNT UP AND GET YOUR ASSES BACK HERE!' _

_'Rogers, I think she has snapped out of it.' Parks a man Ayame knew to be a smart mouthed rookie spoke over the commotion. 'So it would seem, Well you herd the Captain! Lets move!' The resounding sounds of rifles being loaded echoed even over the infected and the screams of the survivors of the city. _

_'All Survivors Make your way towards the Preventer barricade as fast as you can! Do not stop, Do not look back.' A third voice Ordered over some loud speaker. 'Unit 3 and 4 hold positions, Tanks Do not fire until ordered, Rangers 1 and 2 On Me! Let's Move!' Ayame loaded her own weapon and started moving against the flood of people running. They could see the infected, running grabbing people. _

"_Rifle teams Fire at will!' She called out letting her weapon and instincts rule her shooting. The world around her exploded in to a frenzy of bullets and people. As one rifle emptied she dropped it and pulled her secondary off her shoulder. Time seemed to slow down as she ran towards the on coming infected, A child fell as one reached out towards him and his mother. 'CLOSE YOUR EYES!' She opened fire knocking the infected back blowing it's head right off it's shoulders. _

_'Tank unit's Advance!' She issued in to her walkie-talkie While running at the woman and her child, her protective instincts on high gear. She grabbed the child by the back of the shirt and hefted him off the ground, 'Take him and run!' The mother didn't need to be told twice and tore away. Ayame turned to face the next bout of runners when she was hit in the shoulder and knocked off her feet. _

_Turning The world around her went silent, and the ground was covered in snow. 'Oi! Ayame did you hear something?' Kekko called out to her as she stood beside the hum-vi. Ayame looked back at Kekko and shook her head, a great confusion overcoming her being. _

_She didn't feel right as she was walking, 'maybe I'm getting sick...' she wondered as she walked, watching the area around them. 'We're almost there!' Kekko called out of the driver's side door. 'Climb back in Ayame I'm going to get us there before night fall.' She nodded and climbed inside the hum-vi and patted herself off looking at the three kids sitting in the back. 'Martin, I'm proud of you.' _

_the boy looked at her a smile plastered on his face. 'Yes Sensei!' _

_Sonya chuckled from the front seat, "That's very high praise indeed, she's never told me that she was proud of me. Wallow in your glory Martin you deserve it!' Martin looked back at Ayame who nodded agreeing with Sonya. 'I was only doing what was right, I'm just glad I found you sensei. Mother knew you would be alive.' _

_'Your mother was a very brave person Martin, and you follow her foot steps well. Just remember that she will always be watching you. She will never turn in to one of those creatures.' Kekko added from the front seat and the boy nodded sharply. 'I know and I will not cry, she wouldn't want me to.' _

_'Martin, you mother would want you to do what ever your heart tells you to do. If you need to cry, then cry, you will feel better after.' Ayame knelt down beside the kids, 'Don't ever think because your the only man here that crying makes you any less of one. Don't ever believe that emotions are a bad thing, they are the body's way of cleansing.' _

_The boy nodded, 'I know, but it's as you said in the city, now is not the time for tears. Mourning comes when the rest of those things are gone and we can start to re-build. Then I will cry.' _

_Ayame nodded looking at the two sleeping children, 'Do you know them martin?' She asked seriously, 'No, I found them hiding behind a dumpster, Their parents where no where to be found. It took some convincing but they followed me, I think their parents where turned.' _

_'The important thing is they are safe now.' Sonya stated knowingly and Ayame looked at her, 'No one is safe, don't sugar coat anything Sonya, it only serves to disappoint. The matter at hand is simple, The colonies are empty, and Mars has closed it's doors. we are alone._

_'They will be keeping communications on earth, but they don't expect anything. Maybe one day if we manage to survive long enough, and the virus runs it's course we will once again see people populating the earth. Until then, no one is safe.' Sonya lowered her head and sighed, 'I guess your right, but remember they are still children.' _

_'I know, once upon a time I was one to.' _

* * *

"What do you mean she's gone?" Duo asked keeping his voice quiet, slowly lowering his weapon. "Ayame Taylor dove in to the river." Heero's flat tone had Duo's stomach sinking. He knew the man was positive, he wouldn't have been definite in his answer if he wasn't. "That's suicide! During this time of year the river is too cold no one would be able to make it to the other side!" Duo grit his teeth, as thunder rolled above their head. "However She was alive going in to the river, so there is a chance she made it out."

"We wont make it back before the storm breaks."

Duo watched his partner, "I know, but we have to try. We can walk to the bridge to town, maybe she got stuck in the branches of one of the shrubs or even washed up on one of the small beaches along the way." Heero watched his partner in turn, "It is wiser to take a different route back to camp, we dont want to lead anything back to us."

"Of course, and If we happen to get a little side tracked finding some damsel in distress, then who can blame us for doing something to help her?" Heero had known the Duo would be hell bent on looking for a survivor, he had always been a big believer in no one gets left behind. The man held a big heart, bigger then he gave himself credit- or dared to acknowledge.

"We have to be back to camp by dinner." Heero stated flatly. Duo smirked at him, "then I guess we better start walking." Leading the way Duo pulled out a small walkie-talkie.

The soft patter of rain drops hitting a tarp was the music to which James found himself dosing off to as he waited for some kind of word from Heero and Duo. He held no doubt that the men would make it back in one piece and uninjured, they where too observant to be caught unawares by any infected. _Especially when on a mission._ He thought in a daze as his eyes fluttered closed finally.

* * *

"_Oi, Some one better be manning the radio." _

James jumped from his spot in a rusted lawn chair shouldering hisrifle at the sound of a strange voice. "_-And No Body had better be sleeping on their watch..." _Slowly James' eyes looked towards the small black box sitting on an upturned milk crate. Releasing a breath, 'Nearly gave me a heart attack dammit.' He thought inwardly as he snatched the CB/walkie-talkie off the table. "Yeah Duo I'm here."

"'_Bout time_ _Seriously, I've been calling for ten minutes, you all could be dead, slacker."_ Duo's voice sounded relived, and it told James that he had truly been worried. "Yeah sorry about that, didn't get enough sleep, passed out under the tarp. You guys doing alright, it looks like the rain is only going to get worse."

"_Yeah, We're alright for the moment, anyway we have confirmed their story, as much of it as they knew. Found their original camp too, was pretty close to the explosions."_

James thought on that for a moment, knowing there was a reason that Duo hadn't mentioned the new comer's friend. "Any sign of the mysterious woman?"

" _Yeah, seems the woman was either brave, or just suicidal. Looks like she jumped in to the river to avoid the infected that are crawling about the area. The river has been pretty calm considering it's a river, so Heero and I think that there is a chance she survived. Before you say anything we know it's a slim chance, but the river slows considerably because of the divid not far up so we're going to investigate and see if we spot her and make our way back through the town." _

Jackie chose that moment to walk over and eves drop on the conversation, her eyes narrowing at Duo's last sentence. "Why in hell would they want to do that, for a single survivor?" James sighed, "Most likely because they are the type to try and save everyone, remember they took us in."

"I hope they have a better reason then that, they are risking their lives, and what they took with them should anything go wrong. We all know that we can't handle that kind of loss." James glared at Jackie and spoke back to Duo. "Jackie wants to know why you would risk your selves for one survivor?"

There was silence for a long moment, and James knew that Duo and Heero where either having a conversation or Argument. _"There is two reasons; the first being it would be unwise to come back to camp the way we came, because it could lead the infected right to us. The second reason is simply because, it's one more human being that isn't infected." _

"That's just stupid! Just because she isn't infected doesn't mean we can trust her. This woman, this Ayame person, she is elusive even to her own group, who is to say what kind of person she is?" Jackie threw her hands in to the air and James sent her a smirk.

"_Regardless of your feelings towards the idea, we are the ones who are willing to put our lives on the line to search. We shall judge the preson should we find her, not what we may or may not know about her. After all we could have done the same to you Jackie." _

Jackie turned her glare at the speaker. "Jackie, you can't be mad because Heero is right, They could have judged us when we first arrived. I understand that your mad because of what happened to Rick, but-"

"You understand nothing James, so just stop." Jackie turned away in a huff, moving briskly towards an open tent.

"_Oi, James you still there or did Jackie destroy the CB?" _Duo's voice questioned and James sighed, "Yeah I'm still here, Jackie on the other hand is not. Look, I don't care either way what you do. However, Wufei has made it clear that he wants to move on. Chaz and Brad are at ends about which way we should go, because we don't know enough about the movement patterns of the infected. That Kekko woman says that she doesn't want to stick around past night fall, and I happen to agree with her."

He herd Duo sigh through the CB radio. "Okay here's the deal, Don't move until you hear from us next. Get camp packed up and ready to go. If you don't hear from us before night fall, move on-"

James Cut in to him, creating a feed back, "Duo, there is no way Wufei or anyone else would agree with leaving you guys behind. So that's not going to happen."

"_If you would let me finish with out blowing my ear drum out... Now, Move on, head down river but loop the long way around town- we should be making our way through town or near enough to it to spot you and let you know. Also, find out if those women have maps of the area- I am tired of moving blind. If we somehow miss you guys find a place within range of the radio's and we'll contact you by morning."_ James took in a slow breath, and let it out even slower before asking, "-And just what happens if we don't hear from you then?"

"We take action 7." Wufei spoke evenly and made James jump dropping the radio. _"Wufie's right, if you don't hear from us by morning, then action 7 is to be assumed and you keep moving."_ Heero's voice echoed to them from the radio, while Duo grunted seriously.

James lifted the receiver again and sighed, "Right. We'll talk to you soon. Conserve your battery."

"_We should be telling you that." _Duo laughed at him, and the decisive click of Duo disconnecting the signal came through the speaker. James replaced the receiver on the milkcrate that served as their communications area. "It's a necessary action James, you know that." Wufei spoke quietly and evenly. "Yeah I know, I just hate that it's necessary."

"I am sure that is one thing every survivor on this planet would agree with." Wufei clicked off the radio and crossed his arms over his chest as he drifted in to a thought filled silence. "How's the Alterations on the Hum-vi coming?"

"Not fast enough for that Woman's liking, but steadily. We should be done within the hour assuming this test of her's back fires." James rose an eyebrow, "Like you assume it will?" Wufei hummed as he nodded sharply.

Just as he nodded the sound of an engine roaring to life echoed through the camp, and all eyes turned in the direction of the hum-vi watching as Kekko waved at Akira who sat in the drivers seat. "Okay, Akira let go of the clutch, I'll switch it over to Solar from here."

James and Wufei stood side by side watching as Kekko moved cautiously sticking her hand in to the engine nimble fingers moving something out of sight. "Ready Three, two One!" Kekko flicked something and jumped away from the open hood. The hum-vi shuttered, and the sound of the gas power stopped completely. A collective breath was held as Kekko moved quickly to one side, "Back her up! SLOWLY!" Kekko added forcefully watching Akira as she shifted gears easing on to the gas peddle.

When the hum-vi shuddered back two feet, Kekko let out a whoop of triumph, "HA! IT WORKS! I WAS RIGHT! TAKE THAT MR. PILOT!" Watching Kekko throw her fist in the air James chuckled, "Looks like you where wrong Wufei."

"It won't last, we'll have to fix it before the end of the night." At Wufei's comment James turned to him fully. "Why won't it last? Is it not load barring or something?"

"The weight will be too much." Wufei affirmed, as Kekko danced in place. "Maybe, but you'd be surprised at just what Kekko can get to work just by talking to it." Kat stated as she walked over to them, balancing in her good hand was a tray that smelt like coffee.

"You know that's not exactly smart. You could drop the drinks that way." James uttered as Kat lowered the tray. "I don't think so, I was a waitress before this all started, among other things." Wufei rose a brow at her, "Other things?" James voiced for him.

"Yeah, maybe if you guys stick with us long enough you'll find out just what those other things were."

* * *

_Authors Notes: Okay, so because of some loveable prodding from Sakura, I have given you all the desired update before the new years. Feel loved, I was going to make you all wait until january. -_-_

_Anywho, Please Read and Review! MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Much Love to you all!_


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